Star Phantom: Ghost Stallion of Ponyville
by General Jo
Summary: StarShine Apple, Applejack's twin brother, was involved in an accident with a dark magic spell. The accident made him different. His fur could change from white to black, his black hair becoming snow white. His eyes would become glowing green. He could walk through walls, disappear, and fly. He knew one thing that he has to do. He has to stop all the ghosts from coming through.'
1. Chapter 1: A Nightmarish Celebration

It was another sunny day in Ponyville. The townsfolk were out enjoying their day. Just outside of town was a huge farm with acres upon acres of apple trees, run by the Apple family, who christened it, Sweet Apple Acres. In the acres, a trio of ponies were working on the trees.

An orange earth pony mare with a cowboy hat slammed her back legs against the tree, causing it to shake and drop it's assortment of apples. She watched as the apples fell perfectly into the baskets waiting below. She wiped some sweat off her forehead and looked over at the two stallions working on the opposite trees. A bright red stallion with a harness attached to his back bucked his tree with one hoof, getting the same result. The other stallion, however, was a different story.

His fur was white with a black mane, he looked slightly less muscled than his two siblings, but he still had some meat on those bones. His cutie mark was a group of black stars surrounding a planet, signifying his talent of astronomy. He looked at the tree nervously, then reared up his back legs and thrust them toward the tree. But he didn't hit the tree, and he didn't miss. His legs went through the tree!

"Ah!" He fell flat on his stomach hard. The two other ponies immediately ran over to him, worried.

"Star! Are ya alright?!" The orange pony shouted as he pulled himself out of the tree. He looked back to see his legs were missing. He screamed again right before his legs reappeared.

"I'm fine Applejack." He sighed "Darnit! I thought I had control of them!" He shouted, slamming his front hooves on the ground with anger.

"Ya'll with get the hang of it soon Star, ya just gotta-"

"Keep practicing, I know Big Mac." Star said, still upset. "Come on, we still gotta finish this acre before nightfall." He got up and slammed one hoof on the tree, shaking the apples into the basket. His older brother and twin sister looked at him with concern as he absent-mindedly walked through the tree Big Mac cleared. He stopped at the next tree and bucked it.

"He's right though Star, ya just gotta practise, ya'll used tah be worst off." Remember when you couldn't even hold a spoon the first week?" She laughed a little at that, hoping it would make her twin brother feel better. It worked when he smiled a little bit.

"Yeah, I used to be worse." He suddenly gasped and a small bit of visible air came out of his mouth. He looked over toward the everfree as three wolves made of wood appeared from the treeline. Applejack and Big Mac backed away in fear, but Star stood there. He glared at the wolves.

The wolves growled louder and got ready to pounce on the black and white pony who dared stand against them. "I'm goin' ghost!" There was a bright flash that engulfed his body, followed by two rings appearing around his midsection. The rings then split and moved along his body. As they moved, the area they covered changed. His fur turned black, his mane became white, a ghostly glow outlined his body, and his baby blue eyes changed to neon green.

The wolves were shocked for a moment before they got ready to attack. Star took his own stance, waiting to see who would move first. No one moved for what felt like forever. Suddenly, the wolf on the right lunged forward. Star aimed his left hoof forward, like he was throwing a punch. A green beam of light shot out and made impact on the wolf's chest. It exploded instantly.

The remaining two wolves went wide-eyed, they knew who this was. Other wolves from both their pack and others had told a story about a pony who had half a soul and was living death. He destroyed many souls in the past. They backed away in fear, not wanting to become another lost one of the legend. The stallion glared at them, then fired at the ground in front of them. This caused the wolves to yelp and flee back into the forest.

Once he sensed they were gone, Star transformed back into his first form. Once he did, he fell to his knees, exhausted. "Even... with the… Apple Family Stamina… that still tires me." He said, breathing heavy. Applejack ran up to him.

"Great job buddy!" She smacked her brother's back hard, which almost made him lose what was left of his breath. She chuckled nervously under his glare. "Hehe, sorry." Big Mac gently put his hoof on Star's shoulder.

"You should go rest, we'll finish up." Star took a long breath, then looked at his older brother.

"I'm fine, I won't quit until you do, I can handle it." Big Mac sighed, his little brother always had a good work ethic, like his pa, and a huge heart like his ma.

"If you're sure." He said. "Just don't feel ashamed if you wanna rest."

"I won't Big Mac. Promise."

**Star Phantom in:**

**A Nightmarish Celebration**

Two months later, Sweet Apple Acres was extremely busy, some of the Apple Family showed up to help out with the biggest order to date. The Apples had to supply the town with all the food needed for the Summer Sun Celebration. Star Apple was pouring himself a large mug of coffee. He spent most of the night hunting down the most annoying (and the lamest) ghost to date. He still didn't get how he keeps coming out of the Ghost Zone. He took a large gulp of the drink when a small yellow earth pony barged in, super excited.

"Star! Did ya hear?!" Star immediately whipped around to face his little sister, Applebloom.

"What?" She threw the newspaper that was in her hoof at him. He grabbed it with quick reflexes. He read the headline: **Inviso-Bill Stops the Crate Creep**. He wanted to facepalm so hard. But he put on his act, starting with the raised eyebrows, followed by the wide eyes, then the gasp, and as a final piece, pulling his head back. "Wow, that _Inviso-Bill _sure is somethin'." He shuddered at saying that name, he hated it with a passion.

Applebloom was not satisfied with that answer. "Somethin'? What're ya on 'bout? Inviso-Bill is the greatest!" She raised her front hooves up in excitement. Star could only sigh on the inside.

_'She's my biggest fan and doesn't even know it's her own _brother!_'_ "I mean, he's a great guy, but I don't think he likes all the attention." He said, his modesty taking over.

"Why wouldn' he, I wouldn' mind all that attention." Applebloom said with a raised eyebrow. Star would've said more if the famous call of the Apple Family hadn't rang out.

"Soup's on everypony!" Star and Applebloom immediately ran outside to see the whole family gathered around something that wasn't the food table. Star could hear Applejack introducing everypony to somepony else, but who? He walked up just as Applejack started finishing up. "Applebloom, Big Mac, my twin StarShine Apple, and… Granny Smith." She looked over to see her Granny asleep in her rocking chair that was carried over to the field from the house. "Up and at 'em Granny Smith, we have guests." That woke her up, she started standing while mumbling nonsense.

Star saw that Applejack was introducing the family to a purple unicorn and '_Holy Celestia a dragon!'_ He almost didn't notice the unicorn look extremely uncomfortable. "Uh, thank you. Well I can see that you have everything in order, so I'm going to leave and-"

"Aren't ya goin' tah stay fer brunch?" Star saw his little sister doing the puppy dog eyes. _'How is it _I'm _the one with ghost powers and she has the freaky ability?'_ "I'm sorry, but we have so much to do and-" The eyes went to full power! "Fine, we'll stay." The entire crowd cheered as they gave the poor unicorn the full Apple Family "More than You Can Eat" Buffet.

Star managed to find a good seat near the end of the table, where he was able to get himself an apple fritter with some cider. He grew up around this food, but whenever somepony else from the family makes it, it gets better. Normally, he would've ate more, but ever since the accident he barely had much. Applejack looked at his small meal. "You sure ya'll ain't havin' more?"

Star looked up. "Um, no. you know I don't eat much anymore." He looked over to where that purple unicorn was. She was being force fed by some family members. "I'd be more worried about her, she's the one suffocating." He pointed at her, when Applejack looked over where he was pointing, she groaned.

"We went to far didn' we?"

"Eeyup." Star said, imitating his brother. "I'll get her outta there." He swallowed his food in one huge gulp and walked over to the prisoner. "Okay guys, I think she's full." He pointed out the enormous stomach the mare grew from all the food she was forced to digest. "I better let her walk it off." He paused when they looked at him funny. "So that she could have more later."

"But-" Star quickly covered her mouth, then whispered in her ear.

"Follow my lead."

He let her go so she could speak. "Uh, yeah. I'm full and I definitely want more, soooo… bye!" She booked it down there, with her baby dragon in tow. Star watched her go, then walked back to his seat.

Applejack stared at him with a playful look on her face as he sat down. He responded with a confused face. "What?"

"Nothin', just playin' at the idea that you would jump up tah save a filly in distress." Star facepalmed, heat rising to his cheeks. "Ah, I'm only teasin'." Star started laughing quietly. He looked at his plate to see an envelope. It was pink and had a balloon mark on it. He knew only one pony who could have that.

"What is that mare up to now?" Applejack shrugged. Star cautiously opened it up, expecting confetti to pop out. He waited a couple of seconds before realizing it wasn't that kind of invitation. He pulled out the paper inside.

_You are invited to the Welcome to Ponyville Party at the Library. Be there at sundown as this will be the before party for the Summer Sun Celebration._

_~Pinkie Pie_

"Oh boy." He put the invitation back, then laid back in the chair. "Pinkie having a party."

"Ah thought ya liked Pinkie's parties?"

"Yeah, I do, but tonight?" He signalled her to follow him away from the family. She followed him inside the barn.

"What if a ghost attacks, it's the Summer Sun Celebration! You know they love to come out during major events."

"Ah do." She put a reassuring hoof on his shoulder. "But ah also know you can handle it, like ya have in the past." Star sighed, he knew she was right, but still. He didn't know if they would have a huge outbreak or if only a couple show up.

"I'll handle it, if you're willin' tah help." He said, Applejack looked relieved. He never used to let her and Big Mac get involved in the fights, but now he didn't know what he would do without them.

"We'll be there for ya Star." The twins hugged, then went back to the table.

Star and Applejack arrived at the Library Tree a few minutes before the sun went down. The entire time they walked, Star was looked around sporadically. "I don't get it." he whispered. "I would've had to deal with three or four by now, but not a single one showed up."

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth Star, just be glad they ain't here now." Applejack said right before opening the door. Ponies were already inside enjoying the pre-party.

Star sighed, then smiled. "You're right AJ, let's have fun." They both walked inside, immediately being met by Pinkie Pie.

"Hi AJ, hi Star." She handed them both cupcakes which they both happily ate. "Enjoy the party!" With that, she happily bounced away. Both siblings just laughed and walked into the crowd.

"Yo Star, Applejack!" They looked up to see a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane hover above them.

"Hey Rainbow Dash, great job with the weather." Star said, being friendly.

"Yeah, I am pretty awesome at it." Rainbow said, stroking her own ego. The twins rolled their eyes, but knew it was harmless, mostly.

"Did you hear that Inviso-Bill beat the Crate Creep last night?!" A beige earth pony mare said to her mint green unicorn friend.

"I did. He's so amazing."

Star facepalmed. _'The most unimaginative name _ever!_' _"I know right, he's not that awesome." Rainbow Dash said, misinterpreting Star's reaction. "Next time I see him, I'll show him what a real hero can do." She floated in the air, striking a superhero pose.

_'Great, now I've got a rival.' _Star blinked. _'Oh wait, she can't even hit ghosts, right.'_

"She's coming!" The lights were turned off and everypony went silent. The door opened and the same purple unicorn walked in with the dragon on her back.

"Sorry Spike, but we only have a few hours left to-" The lights turned back on and as if on cue, everypony shouted "Surprise!"

Pinkie popped up in front of her, spraying confetti into the air. "Surprise!" She charged right into her face. "Well, were you surprised huh huh huh?"

"Very, libraries are supposed to be _quiet_." Pinkie scoffed.

"Yeah, but what kind of party would it be if it were quiet?" The unicorn simply walked over to the food table and grabbed a bottle of a drink. She poured it into a cup and gulped it down. "And look, now you have all these new friends to chat with." The unicorn looked ready to burst into flame, and that's exactly what her mouth did. She quickly ran upstairs to an office converted into a bedroom. Star looked at the bottle she poured from and saw it was actually hot sauce.

"I'm sure she'll be fine." he said to himself.

* * *

"Or… maybe not." He said, noticing that she still hasn't come down yet. "Maybe she'll be worse." He saw the dragon dancing on the table with a lampshade on his head, and no he wasn't drunk. Star walked over and tapped him on the shoulder.

"What's up?" The dragon said, he seemed in high spirits.

"Not much, just uh, worried about that unicorn up there."

"Twilight?" The dragon said, lifting the lampshade from his head. "Still up there huh?"

Star nodded. "Okay, I'll go talk to her." With that, he jumped from the table and went upstairs. Star smirked a bit, then went outside.

He found a nice, quiet spot to sit out and look at the stars. Ever since he was a young colt, he loved the stars. The patterns they made, how beautiful they looked, and how comforting they were. He remembered when his ma and pa bought him a telescope for his 10th birthday.

_Ma and Pa_ He echoed in his head. He remembered the accident that took them away, then the accident that took him half away.

_He stepped toward the glowing circle, hoping to see his ma and pa on the other side. What he didn't expect was the magic that created the portal to latch onto his leg. He screamed as it started dragging him across the floor. Applejack and Big Mac barged into the barn, horrified. He pointed to a book nearby. "Close it!" AJ immediately ran over and slammed the book shut._

_The energy was still attached and when the book closed, it backlashed. Star screamed in pain as his whole body was shot with foreign energy. There was a bright flash. "Star!" _

"Star!" He was shaken out of his memory by his sister's hoof rattling his shoulder.

"Huh? Oh hey AJ, what's up?" He said, looking up at her.

"It time tah go tah the Celebration. You alrigh'?" She asked, looking concerned.

"Yeah, I'm good." He said as he stood up. "Come on, let's go." The two joined the herd of ponies making their way to City Hall.

The entire hall was filled to the brim with ponies. Star and Applejack strategically placed themselves next to the food table to get first dibs. Rainbow Dash stayed next to the cider, prepared to defend it like a Royal Guard. "This should be fun." Star said.

"Mares and Gentlecolts!" The Mayor started, getting the crowd's attention. "It is a great honor to announce that we have been chosen to welcome our Glorious Princess on the 1000th Summer Sun Celebration!" Everypony cheered. Star was about to cheer when a gasp of cold air escaped his breath.

"Oh no." He looked around, then up. He gasped as the face of the moon disappeared along with the four stars that surrounded it. He leaned over toward Applejack. "We gotta problem."

There was a large gasp of shock from the crowd as they witnessed an empty balcony.

"Bettah make that two problems." She whispered back.

"I think they're related." A large purple fog covered the spot where Princess Celestia should be, and was instead replaced by a large, midnight black alicorn with dark blue armor. "Cover me." He whispered, then barged his way through to a voting booth. Once he made sure nopony could see him, he struck a pose.

"I'm Goin' Ghost!" The two rings went to work transforming him from Star Apple to Inviso-Bill. "Still gonna change that name." He went invisible and flew out into the main hall.

"The night. Shall last. Forever! Muahahahahahahahaha!" The alicorn laughed evilly.

"Ya sure about that?!" The alicorn's eyes snapped open, followed by her looking around to see who spoke.

"Who dares speak against Nightmare Moon?" She shouted, her mane flaring around the ceiling.

"Uh, me." Star appeared in front of her. "Hi, I understand you want a Welcome to Ponyville Party, but you'll have to be on the waiting list until tomorrow."

The alicorn glared. "There will be no more tomorrow you little foal!" _Wait, he's an earth pony, how is he doing this? _She didn't get a chance to think more as the pony blasted her with a beam from his hoof. She was sent flying back behind the curtains. She shook her head to clear the spots and saw the earth pony floating above her.

She growled, then transformed into the smoke. The smoke flew out the window, Star hot on it's trail. "Oh no you don't!" He fired another blast, but missed. Instead it blasted a hoof sized hole in a nearby tree. "Whoops."

"Hey you!" Star turned to see Rainbow Dash charging at him. "You and I have unfinished business!"

Star groaned. "I don't have time for this." He looked around to see the smoke was gone. He sighed, ignoring Rainbow Dash yelling at him. He turned invisible and flew off. Rainbow snapped her head in every direction, but couldn't find him.

She growled like a bull, then dropped her head. "Eternal night, forever?" She then saw Twilight running from the hall to the library. "Where is she going?"

* * *

Star walked back over to Applejack in his Apple form and saw she was trying to yell at Rainbow. "How do ya know they're spies?"

"Well I think Twilight's a spy because she knows too much about Nightmare Moon."

"Any why do ya think Inviso-Bill is a spy?" AJ said through gritted teeth. _She has the nerve tah think mah own flesh and blood works for that creep. _

"Duh, he showed up only a few months ago, then she shows up." Rainbow said, crossing her legs. "Not to mention he let her escape, he's obviously evil."

"Did you see it?" The white unicorn, Rarity, asked. "While I do think that ruffian has a few flaws, he isn't exactly evil."

"I did see it, he works with that mare and that's a fact!" Star never felt weaker in his life. AJ saw it, her anger flaring.

_Hold it together AJ, you can't give 'em any hints._ "Fine, think what ya wanna think, I'm gonna go talk tah Twilight." She walked over to her brother first and gave him a strong hug. "I'm glad you're okay." She whispered in his ear. "And ah know y'all are good."

Star returned the hug a bit stronger."Thanks AJ." The hug lasted a few seconds before they broke. "Now, I'll look for that ghost, you find out how to beat her."

"Got it, be careful Star." Star nodded, then ran off.

"Hey, where's he going?" Applejack looked at Rainbow, who eyed her brother suspiciously.

"He's… going to check on the family, tah make sure they're okay." Applejack said, doing her best to make an excuse. Rainbow stared at her. The farmer started sweating from the pressure, she never was good at lying.

"Okay then." Rainbow shrugged. "Come on, we wasted enough time here." She flew off in the direction of the library, the others girls following behind her.

* * *

Star found an alleyway to hide in, transforming once he was out of site. He flew into the night sky, looking for any sign of the ghost in her smoke form. He searched the entire town, yet couldn't find anything. "Come on, where are you?"

"I never thought I'd see the day where anypony would come looking for a nightmare." Star had no time to react as he was blasted into a wall. The impact left a pony shaped indent in the stone. He felt a little bit of blood drip from his back, but he ignored it. He's been hurt worse. He shook the dizziness and focused on the spirit before him. "Now who are you?"

"Wow, never heard of Inviso-Bill?" Star blinked for a second. "I can't believe I'm actually using that." He facepalmed, he was doing that a lot lately.

"No, who are you really?" The alicorn's eyes narrowed. "I know this isn't your true form." Star's eyes widened. "I sense the magic flowing through you. I recognize the spell."

"Y-you do?"

"Of course, how do you think I was created?!" The ghost used her magic to create a screen. It fizzled for a second before revealing a dark blue alicorn with a flowing mane.

_"Princess Luna wanted to find a way to combat the spirits that plagued the land."_

Luna searched through every page of every book on the shelf. She growled and threw the last book in anger.

_"She was about to give up when she finally found it."_ Luna looked through the last book, once she landed on a certain page, she smiled. _"She did everything required to create the circle."_

The last bit of the circle was complete. Luna then lit the candles and started to say the words. _"She thought she could use the portal to summon a proper ghost warrior who she could then capture and control, but she made a grave mistake."_ The portal activated, Luna started the next phase, she summoned the closest spirit, demanding to show itself. A large cloud of black smoke appeared. Luna prepared the spell, to capture the spirit.

_"It was the same mistake you obviously made, she thought she could control what even nature cannot wield." _The smoke grew hands which attached to the pony. She screamed in horror as the spirit dragged her into it's cloud. The smoke exploded, leaving Luna there standing still like a statue. The Princess opened her eyes, which were now glowing dark blue. An evil grin grew on her face.

_"In her attempt to control me, I, Nightmare Moon, took control of her."_

"Oh… oh no." Star said, Nightmare smirked.

"And now I will create-"

"Eternal Night, yeah yeah, I heard you before." Star fired a blast from both his hooves, hitting Nightmare while she was still monologuing She went flying back, but recovered quickly. She landed right next to a window of the Tree Library. She was about to charge the stallion when the voices inside caught her attention.

"The Elements were last seen in the Castle of the Two Sisters." _The Castle, they're going after the Elements, I must stop them. This foal can wait._ She darted away toward the Everfree Forest, but she suddenly stopped as something grabbed her by the tail.

"Don't you know it's rude to leave before you finish a fight." Star said, then he swung her away from the forest. "Why the hurry NightSnare Fool?" Nightmare growled, she didn't have time for this. Once again, she transformed into her smoke form and flew around Star. "Hey, get back here!" He flew after her, not noticing that he entered the forest.

He chased her for a good few hundred feet before a tree was uprooted and flung at him. He didn't have enough time to go intangible before it slammed him into the ground. The Nightmare flew off into the darkness, out of site.

Star pushed the tree off of him with ease. He had cuts and bruises all over his body, which hurt like hell. "Dammit, sorry sis." He said, right before he blacked out.

* * *

Applejack felt a shiver go down her spine, and it wasn't because she was scared of the forest. _Star._ Her pace got slightly faster, her instincts telling her that her brother was hurt and not far away. She almost didn't hear Twilight ask a question.

"Anyways, who was that stallion?" The others looked at her.

"Who?" Pinkie asked. "Inviso-Bill?"

"Yes." Twilight answered. "How was he doing that. He was an earth pony, he shouldn't be flying and using magic, that's scientifically impossible!"

"That's because he's a ghost." Applejack said, distractedly.

"A ghost?" Twilight scoffed. "They don't exist."

"Ah but they do." Pinkie said, hoping next to her. "We have ghosts all the time, usually they're scary but then Inviso-Bill shows up, and then he goes Bam! And Pow! And Bah Bah Bah Bam!, then he pulls out this weird thermos thing and sucks the ghostie right up."

"How many times has this happened?" Twilight said, not believing this at all.

"A couple times a week." Pinkie answers.

"He's a total fake though." Rainbow says. "He fakes it all the time, just so he could look cool in front of everypony."

"He also causes more damage than the ghosts do. He's smashed my shop several times in the past few months, never apologizing!" Rarity added.

"He… doesn't even try to talk with the other ghosts, he just fights them." Fluttershy added meekly. "I don't think anypony who doesn't give others a chance is that nice."

"Ah huh." Twilight said. "What do you think Applejack?"

"Huh?" the pony in questions asked, turning her head. "Sorry, wasn' listenin'."

Twilight sighed. "I asked, do you think that 'Inviso-Bill' is evil?"

Applejack glared. "And why would ah think that?" Twilight didn't notice the look her colleague was giving her.

"Well, the others have several reasons to believe he's evil and they seem valid, I even have a reason to think so."

"Oh, ya do huh?"

Still not noticing the attitude, Twilight continued. "I sensed some powerful dark magic, he's obviously delved into stuff that nopony ever should, and the amount of dark energy is too much to be ignored. He must be planning something. If I could get a sample of his DNA, I could figure out what he is and how to deal with him effectively."

Applejack could only see red. The pony she wanted to kill talked about tying her brother down to a table and experimenting on him to figure out how to kill him, well, fully. "You'll never catch him." She muttered darkly.

"Oh yeah." Rainbow said, getting in her face. "And why not?" Applejack was about to give a tongue lashing for an answer when she heard a groan. She looked over and saw Star slowly sitting up from behind a tree.

"Star!" The stallion turned to see his sister barreling toward him. He had almost no time to get up before his ribcage was crushed under the titanic strength of his twin. "I'm glad y'all are okay!"

"I am… minus the ribcage." They broke the hug.

"Hehe, sorry." She said sheepishly. "But…"

"What are you doing here?" They both asked at the same time.

"I followed Nightmare Moon in here to figure out what she was up too." Star answered. "You?"

"Twilight." She said coldly. "Found out that we can defeat Nightmare Moon by blastin' her with the Elements o' Harmony. They should be in the-"

"Castle of the Two Sisters?" Star finished, remembering all those times he flew over the place.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Applejack asked with an eyebrow raised.

"I saw her fly off in that direction, she must know you girls are after it."

"Applejack, who is this?" Twilight said, walking up to the pair.

"Oh hi, I'm StarShine Apple." Star said. "I'm Applejack's twin brother." He put his hoof forward.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Twilight Sparkle." She grabbed his hoof and they gave a quick shake.

"Okay, okay." Rainbow Dash barged him. "New friends yay, can we get back to stopping that freak!"

"Oh right, let's go." Twilight lead on, the others following close behind her.

* * *

The rest the walk took place in silence. Star noticed Applejack was fuming, but he decided not to delve into it, he knew his sister would tell him in time. "There it is!" Twilight ran ahead of them. Star looked ahead, and there is was, the Castle of the Two Sisters. He was about to run up himself when he saw the large gorge ahead.

The others noticed too, calling Twilight to wait. She listened too late as she went over the side. In a flash, Rainbow Dash flew in and grabbed her. "What's with you and falling off cliffs today?" She laughed.

The rest of the group caught up and saw the gorge. "How are we gonna get across?" Pinkie shouted. Rainbow showed off her wings, then flew down. "Oh yeah." The cyan pegasus grabbed the end of the bridge, then pulled it up to the other side.

Star was watching the other side when his ghost sense went off. He looked with wide eyes as three dark pegasi appeared from the shadows. He saw them get her attention.

"Rainbow!" Twilight shouted. "Don't listen to them!" The lead shadow pony's eyes glowed and the fog covered the gorge. "I can't see her!" There was a few seconds of intense silence. Star was about to run off to transform when Rainbow Dash flew back through the fog, which parted as she landed, the shadow ponies were nowhere to be seen.

"You're back!" Twilight shouted.

"Yeah, I never keep my friends hanging." The group crossed the bridge and walked into the castle.

The castle was dark, damp, and spooky. Star saw several star spiders making homes along the walls. The roof of the main building was completely gone. He looked around for anything, and shadows without an owner, sudden movement, anything. He stopped when he stepped on a pressure plate. He felt the floor shake and out of a trap door, appeared a spiraling statue.

"That's them, the Elements of Harmony!" Twilight said. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy immediately grabbed the stone orbs off their pedestals and laid them in in a circle in front of Twilight.

"One, two, three, four, there's only five" Pinkie said after counting the orbs."

"The book says that a spark is needed for the sixth element to appear." Twilight explained. "Stand back, I have an idea that I'm not sure will work."

"Come on ya'll, she needs tah concentrate." Applejack said. Star walked up and whispered in her ear. She looked back and nodded, then left with the others.

He stayed behind until the rest of the group left before he dove into an empty hallway. He transformed into ghost mode, turned invisible, then flew out into the main room. He was just in-time to see Twilight get snatched by a dark tornado. He dove after her and they both disappeared.

* * *

In another part of the castle, the tornado turned back into Nightmare Moon, who then threw the two ponies across the room. Twilight landed on the ground while Star managed to right himself in the air. Twilight shook the stars from her vision and gasped. "The Elements!"

Nightmare Moon laughed. "Now you have no chance to stop me, the night. Will last. For-" A green blast slammed her in the chest, knocking her down.

"Would you stop with the eternal night garbage, it's getting older than the Box Ghost!" Star said, his hooves smoking from the powerful blast. Nightmare got back up, her eyes glowed with fury.

"You insolent foal!" She roared. "I'll destroy you!" She fired a blast from her horn, which was dodged. Star responded with another blast, which Nightmare blocked with a shield. Twilight watched for a few moments as the two specters fought. What amazed her was that Inviso-Bill was actually hurting Nightmare Moon, something that only the Elements could do.

"Come on, you're aim is as bad as mine was, several months ago!" He dodged another shot, the shit-eating grin never leaving his face.

This only got Nightmare angrier. "Silence!" She fired another blast, which missed.

"Come on, try harder!" He dodged several blasts, but one got lucky and hurled him into the wall. Nightmare was about to go after him when she felt magic flare behind her. She turned to see Twilight trying to activate the Elements. She quickly teleported in front of her and sent the unicorn across the floor.

Twilight had only a second to think as the orbs were smashed to pieces. Her face shaped into one of horror while the mad mare laughed insanely. "Finally, now nothing can stop me!"

"You said that about me and I seem to be doing just fine." Star appeared in the sky, his green eyes glowing brightly.

"Very well then, I see that I cannot best you." Nightmare said, bowing.

"Wait, really?" Star said, absolutely confused.

"Of course, you seem much more skilled, but how's your knowledge on the Spirit Realm?"

"Eh, not much really." He shyly admitted, his cheeks becoming bright green.

"Then I propose a trade." Nightmare stood up. "You train me to master the same skills you have and in return…" She paused. "I'll give you all the knowledge you want."

Twilight watched the exchange and grew nervous when she saw that Inviso-Bill was actually considering her offer. He looked like he was about to agree, placing his hoof in front of him as he flew down in front of Nightmare Moon. She raised her hoof too, but stopped when Star's eyebrows dropped down.

"Yeah, no." He blasted her again. "I'd rather keep my skills to myself."

"Twilight?!" Applejack's shouts could be heard "Star?!" The girls could be heard calling for them as well as they ran into the room. A twinkle appeared in Twilight's eyes as she realized it.

"You thought you could destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that?" Both ponies stopped fighting to look at the unicorn like she was crazy. "Well think again, because the Spirits of the Elements are right here!"

"Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the Spirit of… Honesty!" Several shards appeared around the farm pony.

"Fluttershy, who tamed the Manticore with her compassion, represents the Spirit of… Kindness!" The yellow pegasus was surrounded by more shards.

"Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the Spirit of… Laughter!" The Super Duper Party Pony bounced and cheered as the glowing rocks circled around her.

"Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the Spirit of… Generosity!" She looked down at the shards that floated around her figure.

"Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart's desire, represents the Spirit of… Loyalty!" The cyan pegasus did a somersault around the shards.

"The spirits of these five ponies carried us through each of the obstacles you've thrown at us." Twilight said, stepping forward.

"But you don't have the sixth element, the spark didn't work!" Nightmare Moon said, suddenly getting nervous. Star floated off to the side, having an idea where this is going.

"Oh but it did." Twilight said, smiling. "A different kind of spark." She turned to her five new friends. "I felt it the moment I knew that you five…" She turned back to Nightmare. "Are my friends." Right above her, a sixth orb appeared in a bright light. Immediately, all six ponies were absorbed in the light, and a bright rainbow appeared.

"No!" Nightmare Moon shouted as the rainbow surrounded and absorbed her. There was a blinding light that engulfed the whole room.

* * *

Once the flash had ended, Star saw all six girls were knocked out, he used that moment to transform back before running over to his sister. "AJ!" He bent down to look her over. "Are you okay?!" Applejack groaned before opening her eyes.

"Ah… think so." The others slowly got up, feeling slightly dizzy. "Did we do it?"

"Heck yeah, you did, that was awesome!" Star crushed his sister in his grip, forgetting his super strength. He saw the pained expression on her face, and toned it down. "Sorry."

"Congratulations my little ponies." A sweet, angelic voice echoed. Everypony looked around until they saw a bright orb floating toward them. The orb flashed for a second, then the silhouette of a pony could be seen. The light disappeared and the pony could be clearly seen as…

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight ran up to hug her mentor while the others bowed in respect.

"My Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle." The goddess said, returning the hug. "I knew you could do it." Star rose from the bow, and stopped listening to the Princess when he heard a groan. He looked over to see a light blue alicorn laying on the ground. He immediately ran over to her.

He kneeled down to check her over. "Excuse me." The pony opened her eyes to look at him. "Are you alright?" The pony groaned and slowly tried to get up. She flinched in pain, forcing Star to stop her. "Easy, easy." He brushed his hoof along her back. "Settle down, don't move too fast."

"Now there is another matter I must attend to." Celestia started walking over to her sister, when she saw Star kneeling down beside her. _Who is that stallion? _She walked over and placed a hoof on his shoulder. The moment she did, she felt cold, deathly cold. _What? Why?_ A familiar magic aura caught her attention. _He also used the spell, is this the stallion that possessed my sister?!_ She was about to activate her magic when the stallion spoke.

"Yo-your Highness!" He quickly turned around, but careful enough that to accidently hurt Luna. "Sorry, I was just checking to make sure Luna was okay." Celestia seemed suspicious, so Star moved out of the way. _Oh crap, she felt the spell! She's gonna kill me fully!_ The Sun Princess looked over her sister, who seemed shaken by what just occurred.

"It has been a thousand years since I have seen like this sister."

"Sister?!" Everypony in the room shouted in shock.

"We were meant to rule together, will you accept my friendship?" Celestia begged. Luna looked at her elder sister for a moment before she lunged forward into her embrace.

"I'm sorry, I missed so much big sister." She said into Celestia's chest.

"There is nothing to be sorry for." Celestia said. She felt happier than she had in a millenia. She was about to ask about the stallion when she saw him hugging Applejack lovingly. It was then Celestia realized, _That's not Nightmare Moon, but somepony else._ She decided to investigate later, right now all that mattered was her little sister.

Pinkie started balling her eyes out, but stopped immediately. "Wait, you know what this calls for?"

The group were back in Ponyville during the daytime. "A Party!" Confetti was launched into the air, and ponies gathered around in celebration Luna was nervous about how the townsfolk would react to her, but she was pleasantly surprised by the warm reception and applause. She smiled for the first time in a very long time. She saw Star off on a hillside, enjoying the view. She managed to get Celestia's attention and point him out. The two walked over to where he was. He turned to see them approach and he immediately bowed.

Luna laughed, "Please, there is no need for. I should be bowing to you. Both Star and Celestia seemed surprised.

"Wait, really?" Star said as he rose.

"Of course, you defended your town and family from my darker side and held your ground in the face of doubt." Celestia looked at the stallion. _How, I could barely touch Nightmare Moon, he's an earth pony._ "We must get together to discuss your amazing skills."

Star smiled. "I would be honored, my Princess." He bowed again, with Luna returning it. The two alicorns walked back into the crowd. Star watched them until the disappeared, then he turned back toward Sweet Apple Acres, specifically the barn. _I really don't know much about the Spirit Realm, but that doesn't mean I won't figure it out._ The Royal Sisters departed with their guards back to Canterlot, Star watched them go until they shrunk from sight.

"You were amazin' Star." he looked to see his sister walk up behind him. "Ya did a great thing, even if the others don't trust your… other side."

Star smiled. "Thanks sis." They were about to break more bones in a hug, but Star's ghost sense went off.

"Beware, for I am The Box Ghost!" Both siblings looked annoyed as the Box Ghost appeared. "And I will destroy with town with my Rectangular Cardboard of Doom!" Star suddenly smirked evilly.

"Hello Punching Bag." He transformed into Inviso-Bill before jumping onto the Box Ghost, who he proceeded to beat the crap out of in less than a minute. The Box Ghost started to fly away from the half-ghost, who chased after him with Applejack watching with a happy smile on her face.

**The End**

**Author's Note:**

**Hope you all enjoy my Danny Phantom/My Little Pony crossover. ****I had this idea pop into my head after watching some old Danny Phantom episodes and I just had to write it out for you guys to enjoy. If you did, leave a like. If I need improvement, leave a comment. Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2: Roaring Good Tickets

Star walked through the Apple Acres, carrying three baskets of apples on his back. He was enjoying the nice, warm summer day, and he was glad he knew he would win the bet between him, Big Mac, and Applejack. _There is no way I'm walking around town wearing a polka-dot hat. _He was thinking about adding another bucket when he heard grunting nearby. He used his sensitive hearing to locate the sound.

_It's coming from over there!_ He dropped the buckets, and quickly ran over across the orchard. He was listening to the noise as it intensified. _It sounds like Applejack and Rainbow Dash._ He stopped for a second and blinked. _Ew, ew! Bad thoughts, bad thoughts!_ He started running again toward the sound, having not so good ideas on what to expect. He reached the row of trees where the two mares were…

_Hoof wrestling? Okay, not the weirdest thing I could've walked into._ He blinked twice. _Bad thoughts!_ "Uh, AJ, RD, what are ya doin'?" The mares in question stopped what they were doing and looked at Star. There was a moment of silence as both ponies blushed a bit from possible embarrassment. Star raised an eyebrow, _Please tell me this wasn't leading to something else._

"Uh, well, ya see…" Applejack started.

"Twilight got two tickets for the Grand Galloping Gala and we both wanna go, so we decided to hoof wrestle for it!" Rainbow Dash said, floating above the ground like she usually does. She then looked around, puzzled. "Where'd she go?"

Star shrugged. "Don't ask me, I just got here." _Wait!_ "Did you just say Grand Galloping Gala?" Both mares nodded. "Huh, that's cool." AJ and RD blinked.

"That's cool?" Rainbow clarified.

"Like, ya'll ain' that interested?" Applejack added.

"Yeah, you know I don't like parties sis." Star said, rubbing his leg uncomfortably. He was social, just not enough to go to such a big event. Applejack and Rainbow seemed to accept that answer. _That, or they're just glad there's one less pony going after that ticket._

"Alright, then, I'll see ya later Star." Applejack ran off, no doubt to find Twilight and convince her to give her the ticket.

"Oh no ya don't!" Rainbow Dash flew off after her. Star just watched them leave while shaking his head.

"I'll never get those two." He started to walk away when his ghost sense went off. He looked around as the sky went dark. "Oh no." He transformed into Ghost Apple and started to float. He looked around, but he saw nothing. "Huh, must be nothing-" A loud roar shook the air around him. He turned back toward the barn to see a giant blue dragon blast through the doors and take off into the air. "Or it's a big something!" He quickly flew toward it.

He managed to get in front of it, forcing the beast to stop. It growled at him, smoke blowing out of it's nostrils. "I want to go!" It shouted before trying to fly away. Star blasted it with a ghost ray, it didn't hurt but it made the dragon mad.

"If ya wanna go, go in private." he joked. "It's common courtesy!" He fired another ray, but the dragon blocked it with it's claws. It roared loudly, spewing fire at the same time. Star tired to turn intangible, but the fire still burned. He screamed in pain before he fell to the ground. Black smoke appeared from his form, his fur was singed in several places.

"I want to go to the Gala!" The dragon roared, slamming onto the ground. Star slowly got up, his muscles burning in pain.

"You'll have to wait, my sister and her friends take priority!" He aimed his hoof for another blast, but the dragon had different plans. It swung around and whacked Star with it's tail. He flew into a tree, completely destroying it. He looked at the tree, then at the dragon. "Hey, my little sister planted that tree!" He put both hooves forward, firing a strong blast. It hit its mark, striking a large necklace placed around the dragon's neck. The dragon fell to the ground while the necklace went flying into town.

Star, not noticing the necklace, flew over to the dragon. He expected it to get back up, but instead all there was, was a smoking crater. In the center, was a young unicorn mare wearing a noble's gown with a rose crown. She looked at him with tears in her eyes. Star was shocked, he didn't expect this at all.

"All I wanted to do was go to the Grand Galloping Gala, but my horrid brother won't let me!" She cried before she disappeared. Star suddenly felt a bit of guilt, he hoped she would be okay. He sighed before looking at the damage done to the Acres.

"Oh great, an entire week's apple supply burned and crushed." He groaned. "How am I gonna explain this to Granny?!" He changed back into Normal Apple form. _Still need better names._ He ran over to where he left his baskets of apples, and he found them in perfect condition. "Wow, lucky me." He grabbed all the apples and quickly ran back to the barn.

* * *

Star brought the Apple Stand Cart to the Market Center of town. It was another busy day since today was Market Day, he wished AJ and Big Mac were there to help, but AJ was still trying to get that ticket and Big Mac had to stay behind to clean up the acres. _Who was that dragon anyway?_ He quickly shook the thought away as his first customer of the day arrived.

"Morning Doc." He said with a smile. The brown earth pony returned the smile.

"Ah, good morning StarShine. Doing better I see." He said as Star grabbed his usual order.

"Eeyup, been doing great." The Doc stared at him for a few moments.

"Are you sure, after your accident…" He trailed off. Star sighed, then leaned on the cart.

"Look, Doc, I'm fine." He explained. "I was out for a few weeks, had some trouble getting back in motion, but I'm doing better now, promise." Star finished with a smirk and wink. The Doc laughed a bit, then took his order of apples and left the usual 7 bits.

He started to walk away, but stopped. "Oh by the way." He turned back. "I noticed that Inviso-Bill started using that thermos of mine to capture the spirits, any idea how he got that?"

Star blinked for a moment, then started to sweat slightly. "Uh, no, I don't."

"Okay then, enjoy your day StarShine." The Doctor said as he walked away back to his lab. Once he was gone, Star let out the breath he held for most of the conversation.

"That was too close." He muttered. He hated having to lie to the town, but half of them hate Inviso-Bill, how would they react to him. How long before the scientists and sorcerers come and take him to be experimented on. He heard Twilight talking a few times about capturing him to see how he worked. He then remembered Applejack, how desperate she was to get that ticket. _She's not that desperate, is she?_

* * *

"Please, ah'm desperate!" AJ shouted to Twilight. "Ah need that ticket for the Gala so ah could sell enough food tah pay for things down at the farm. Please ah'll do anythin'!" Twilight sighed, then had an idea.

"Okay then, tell me this…" She started. "Why do you think so highly of Inviso-Bill?" Applejack seemed confused for a moment.

"He saves the town from ghosts all the time, why wouldn't ah respect him?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Okay, so... " She started to smile. "Do you know where I could find him, does he haunt any specific location?" Applejack seemed hesitant, _No Applejack, he's your twin, you _WILL NOT_ rat him out._ then she looked at the ticket.

"He haunts around the Acres mostly." _What the actual buck is wrong with me?! _Twilight seemed satisfied with the answer.

"Thank you Applejack, I'll just-" There was a sudden crash. Both ponies looked over to see Rarity in the doorway.

"Twilight dear!" She shouted, obviously trying to hide her distress. "Please do not tell me you were planning on giving that ticket to Applejack." Her eyes glowed for a second. Only Applejack noticed. _Not good, is she overshadowed?!_ Twilight was trying to find a way out of the situation, then she looked at the necklace placed around the fashionista's neck.

"Oh wow Rarity, that amulet looks amazing." She said, with a strained smile. "Where did you get it?" Rarity blinked before smiling.

"Ooh, you like it?" She asked, lifting it slightly to admire it herself. "I found it near the Acres this morning. I was passing by when I heard a clang in the bushes. I looked inside and there it was." She explained. Twilight sighed, thinking she managed to pivot the conversation.

"But where was I, oh yes, were you planning on giving the ticket to Applejack?" She blinked, looking innocent.

Twilight groaned, there was no way out of it. She made a deal, and a deal is a deal. "Yes, Rarity, I was." She said, looking down. There was loud hiss, Twilight looked back up to see an angry expression on her friend's face. Her eyes were blood red, her fur turning from white to light blue. Her sharp teeth gleamed in the light, her dragon tongue snaked it's way through. _Wait, dragon tongue?_ "Rarity, are you okay?"

* * *

Star waved goodbye to Berry Punch as she walked away with an apple juice barrel on her back. He put the money when his ghost sense, not that he needed it because a moment later, the same dragon from before exploded from the market area.

"Must have it!" It roared, this woke the townsfolk from their stupor as they ran away screaming and panicking. Star ducked behind the cart, transformed into Ghost Apple, then flew off after the beast. He fired an ectoblast at it to get its attention. The dragon glared at him, its red eyes glowing brightly.

"Listen, I know the food service is slow here, but don't go roaring at them, that's just rude." He joked, flying away. He then turned back around. "How 'bout some punch!" He gave it a good punch too, sending it flying out of town. He chased after it quickly, hoping to keep it from getting back up.

The dragon slammed onto the ground, knocking the amulet off. Star arrived just in time to see the dragon transform back into Rarity. _Wait, Rarity?! How?_ He flew down to make sure she was alright. He landed just as the unicorn opened her eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Rarity screamed in terror. "Inviso-Bill!" She quickly got up and started to run away toward town. "Out of my way!" She shouted through the streets, gaining all the attention, "That ghost is trying to hurt me!" All the townsfolk looked at Star, who stood there in shock.

"So ya like hurting mares huh?" A stallion said. "We'll teach you ghost colt!" Several ponies charged at Star. This snapped him out of his shock, thankfully, when he saw the crowd, he went invisible and flew away as fast as he could. In the distance, Twilight and Applejack watched it all go down. Twilight wrote the whole ordeal down while Applejack's teeth started to crack from how hard she was gritting them. She left Twilight to her notes as she ran toward Sweet Apple Acres.

* * *

"Star, are ya hear?" AJ called through the door. She heard no reply, so she slowly opened the door. Just as she feared, her brother's room was empty, everything was untouched. She sighed, not noticing a red stallion walk up behind her.

"Applejack?" She jumped at the voice of her older brother. She turned to face the older Apple.

"Big Mac, thank goodness, have ya seen Star?"

Big Mac shook his head. "Eenope, I thought he was in here." He explained. Applejack groaned, she had to find him. "Only place left is the barn, come on!" Both siblings ran out toward the bright red building right next to their small house. They opened the door, and walked inside. The only light was from the last bit of sunlight coming through the door. Big Mac grabbed a torch, lighting it with a spare match.

"Star?" Applejack called out.

"Go away." A voice mumbled. Both siblings looked at each other before walking further into the barn.

"Star, we're not leavin' 'til we know you're okay." Big Mac said as gently as he could.

"Do I seem okay?" Star said as he revealed himself. He was in Ghost form, his green eyes were bloodshot and his cheek fur was wet with fresh tears. His hair was a mess, sticking out in more placed than usual. "How can I be okay when most of the town hates me, and even when I save them, they still try to drive me outta town, so how could I be okay Big Mac?!" He ranted. He took a few jagged breaths, then curled into a ball.

"It's all my fault." He continued. "If I hadn't opened up that stupid portal, none of this would be happening."

"You're right." Applejack said, standing above her twin. He looked at her, confused. "None of this wouldn't be happenin', Nightmare Moon would be in charge, the sun would still be set, and ah wouldn't be here." She explained. She sat down, wrapping a hoof around Star. "If ya hadn't opened the portal, you would be a regular earth pony, just another Apple, but you're not." She smiled. "You're something bettah, and if the townsfolk don't see that, then they have a problem."

Big Mac sat down on his other side. "We'll always support you Star, the ponies here will just take more time. They'll warm up to ya eventually." Star wiped the tears with his hoof, he started to smile.

"Thank you, both of you." He stood back up. "Come on, I'm hungry." The other siblings laughed, and joined him as they walked out of the barn. "So AJ, how did getting the ticket go?"

"Twilight almost burst intah flames from tryin' to decide." She started. "So we decided to not go." Star went wide eyed. "So she sent them back. Funny thing was, Celestia sent us each a ticket." Star smiled.

"Alright, good for you sis." They hoof-pumped and walked into the house, but Star stopped.

"What is it Star?" Big Mac asked. Star walked over to their mailbox and grabbed the envelope that was sticking through the hole.

He opened it and read the letter inside. _"You are invited to the Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot by the Invitation of _Princess Luna?!" He reeled back in shock.

"Luna?!" Applejack shouted. "But why?"

"She knows." Star said simply.

"How does she know?" Big Mac asked.

"Because that's how she became Nightmare Moon, she was a possessed by a spirit while creating a portal, maybe she wants to know how I'm still me." He explained with a shrug. "Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Come on, let's eat." With that, they walked back inside, thinking that today's troubles were behind them.

* * *

The amulet was carefully placed on the table, then several wires were attached to it. The computer that were home to the wires started to print out a long chart. They went for several seconds before stopping. Once it stopped, it was picked up by a light purple magic aura. Twilight Sparkle looked at the chart, then at the amulet. "Perfect, now we can begin to study on what makes these spirits tick." She said with a determined grin. She grabbed the amulet and placed it in a glass case. She then walked up the stairs and out of her basement.

**And done! Alright, episode 2 is done. Yes, I may have made the townsfolk a bit cold but hey, that was most of Amity Park in the original too don't ya know. Anyway, hope you enjoy, and see ya later.**


	3. Chapter 3: Apple Pride

The Apple Family Trio were out working the fields, bucking the fruits off of their trees. It was almost dark out, so they were trying to finish up quickly. Star slammed another tree, the apples falling down into the bucket with ease. He picked up the bucket, now making it 5 on his back. The white earth pony barely broke a sweat as he carried the baskets back to the barn.

Big Mac watched his younger brother walk casually off with the heavy load. He looked a little green with envy. He was supposed to be the stronger, older brother. Now his younger kin was showing him up.

"Y'all okay there Big Mac?" Applejack asked, seeing the look on his face. The red pony didn't say anything, he just bucked the next tree, then collected the bucket. "Big Mac, you're not jealous of Star are ya?" She continued. He sighed, he hated being jealous. But he couldn't help it. It was his Apple Family pride, they all had it. Star was just better at controlling it, except that one time. The one time that changed it all. "Big Mac." Applejack growled slightly. She got worried, because she saw her older brother struggling to carry 6 full buckets. "Don't do it."

He sighed again. He picked up the last bucket. He suddenly felt the weight on his spine. He tried to hold firm, for a moment he thought he won. There was a sudden crack and he collapsed with a cry of pain. "Big Mac!"

****Star Phantom in: ****

****Apple Pride****

****Now in Amazing Apple-Vision****

It was a week later. Big Mac stood on a hill overlooking the Acres with his sister Applejack by his side. Star was dealing with another ghost at the moment, the Box Ghost _**AGAIN! **_His entire waist was wrapped in bandages. It held his bones in place, enough for him to walk, but not enough to buck and carry heavy loads. This meant that AJ and Star would be doing on their own, and that's not counting when his little brother would have to go and fight another ghost.

"Now don't y'all worry 'bout a thang, big brother." AJ said confidently. "Ah can take care of everthin' no problem." Big Mac wasn't so sure, he knew that Apple Family Pride could always cloud better judgement, especially Applejack.

"Ah know ya can, but one pony plus hundreds of apples just doesn't add up." He argued. He knew it was futile, but what kind of brother would he be if he didn't try.

"Now don't y'all start usin' those fancy mathematics!" AJ shouted, getting angry now. How dare her brother question her strength and endurance. She can handle anything thrown at her. "Ah can handle this no problem or mah name ain't Applejack!" She elbowed Big Mac in the sides. His eyes widened in pain, then narrowed at her. She laughed nervously. "Whoops, sorry." Big Mac just sighed and walked away. AJ walked into the field grumbling to herself. "Big Mac never gives these kinds of talks tah Star, ah just wish ah had the chance tah prove myself." She started bucking the apples, not noticing a mysterious fog appear on the ground.

"So you have wished it, so shall it be." The fog disappeared as quickly as it appeared, leaving a glowing Applejack to buck her trees.

Not far off, on the other side of town, Star was fighting the Box Ghost for the upteenth time! He sent the annoying ghost backflipping into the fields with a hard uppercut to the jaw. The ghost slammed hard into the ground. He groaned as he got up, stars twinkling in his vision. He blinked and shook them away, revealing an entire herd of cows. The cows looked fearfully at him, he responded with awkward silence.

"Beware!" He shouted before flying away. His would be hauntees just stared at him, unamused. "Oh come on!" He shouted. "Fear me just this once!" He didn't notice the ghostly fog appear under him.

"Eh, might as well take advantage of this idiot." The fog started to take a shape in front of the herd. The form grew more detail, starting with the basic shape, then the skin texture, and finally the hissing sound. The fog took the form of… a snake! It hissed loudly, baring it's fangs. The cows started to panic and stampede across the open plains.

Star blasted the Box Ghost with a ecto-ray, which disoriented him long enough to get sucked into the thermos. The half-ghost wiped his hoofs and was about to leave when he heard the rumbling. He looked down to see a huge cloud of dust rising into the air. He swore he could hear mooing in the dust. "Wait a minute." He said. "Moving cloud of dust, mooing, starting after the Box Ghost shouts Beware?" His eyes widened. "A stampede…" His heart took a sudden vacation from his chest when he saw the stampede "Heading towards Ponyville!" He dove down to the ground, getting level with the panicking herd.

He flew up to the front cow. "Hey!" He called. "You know the Running of the Leaves isn't for a few weeks right?!" The cow looked at him, confused. She started to slow down when the snake appeared in front of her.

"Ah, not until we get away from the snake, don't ya know!" The stampede picked up speed. Star looked at her confused.

"What snake?!"

His thoughts were broken by a loud "Yeehaw!" He turned around to see Applejack and their dog Winona charging down from a nearby hill. Her body was glowing brightly. She ran past Star at en extremely high speed. Star stopped to watch.

"Wait, AJ?" He stared, completely dumbstruck. His twin caught up to the lead cow, throwing the lasso around her horn. She started pulling it, playing tug of war with the cow. The cow was winning, to say the least.

While the stampede was losing speed, it wouldn't be enough to stop before reaching the town. Star flew overhead toward the front. He aimed his hoof at the ground in front of them, an ecto-blast glowing in preparation. "Please work." He muttered before firing a long beam ahead of the herd, scaring them. They turned to avoid getting hit or falling in the trench left behind. Of course, they turned in the direction that AJ was pulling them.

_I gotcha now!_ She thought as the group came to a sudden stop. Once the herd came to a halt, Applejack spat out the rope in her mouth. "Phew, y'all ok there Bessie?"

The cow mooed before clearing her throat. "Oh yes, we're fine AJ." She said. "We just saw a snake and you know how we get."

AJ laughed. "Okay then, y'all be careful now."

"We will, goodbye AJ, goodbye Inviso-bill." With that, the herd headed back to their pasture. AJ turned around to see Star floating behind her, his front hooves crossed and his eyebrow raised.

"Hey Star, when did you get here?" She asked innocently.

"Oh you know, since the beginning of the stampede." He said sarcastically.

"Wait, you were?" AJ asked. "Why didn't ya help me?!"

"Help you? I saved you!" He shouted. He landed on the ground, transforming back into his pony form. "You could've killed yourself with that stunt."

AJ scowled. "Stunt, ya think ah did that fer fun?"

"Sure looked like it." He said. "Worse yet, you almost destroyed the town. That stampede wasn't gonna stop AJ. They were too spooked." Star sighed.

"I'm gonna make sure the cows are okay, maybe find that snake that scared them so much." He said with a face that said _we'll talk later. _He transformed back into a ghost and was about to fly off when AJ bit on his tail. She yanked him back in front of her.

"Now wait just a corn pickin' minute." She snapped. "Ah did my best and ah almost did it. If y'all hadn't interrupted me, ah woulda stopped the stampede." The angry mare got right into his face. "Y'all are just jealous."

"Me, jealous?" Star raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why would I be jealous, there's nothing to be jealous about."

Both twins were silent for a minute before Star flew off, fuming. AJ just stood there, glaring at the empty space in front of her. "Dang it Star, I'll give him somethin' tah be jealous about." She growled before storming back off toward Sweet Apple Acres. She didn't notice her body glowing again.

It was a little bit later at the marketplace. Star was handling the apple cart. It was a pretty slow day, since most of the town was busy setting up for AJ's award party. He hadn't spoken to her since their argument and the air between them was thick. AJ started working around the clock in the fields, anytime Granny or Applebloom asked her to take a little break, she would say " Consarnit, ah need tah finish this up." Star noticed how aggressive she's been getting lately too.

Normally, she would never snap at Granny or Bloom. Something was wrong, this wasn't Apple Pride, it was something worse.

Not far off, near the town fountain. A stallion that looked down on his luck pulled out a bit. "I wish I had a million bits." He flipped the coin into the fountain. The water around it started to bubble and turn into steam. The steam grew thicker and became a dense fog. The fog formed around the stallion.

"So you have wished it, so shall it be." A voice said.

Star gasped as cold air escaped his lips. He ducked behind the cart, transformed, and flew off. He flew toward the fountain where he saw the fog. He quickly grabbed the stallion and pulled him out. "Hey, what are you-" There was a low growl, the growl of a predator.

The fog took a different form. The top started to morph into the shape of a pony but the lower part remained a twisted cone shape. In a flash, the fog became a young mare with green fur, a black mane, and a gypsy outfit. Her eyes opened to reveal their blood red color. She glared at the half ghost in front of her.

"No amount of money's worth this!" The stallion ran, but he later informed everypony that he was NOT crying like a foal as he did.

"Fool, how dare you interfere with my wishing?!" She bellowed. Star had to cover his ears before he lost them.

"Call me a foal, but my Granny told me to never trust strangers that offer free stuff." He quipped. "And you're the strangest pony I've met so far." She roared before firing an ecto blast at him. It struck him right in the chest, sending him flying into the fountain.

"If that is the case, then let us become acquainted." The mare said as she floated above Star. "I am Desiree, I grant any wish I hear." She looked at him seductively. "Any wish."

_Um… ew._ He thought before getting back up. "Okay then." He muttered. "Hi, I'm Star…. Phantom." _I actually kind of like that one._ "Now if you could just leave… please, that would be great."

Desiree laughed loudly. "Not as long as there is a single pony with a wish." Her body glowed as she suddenly got a little bigger. "And there are so many wonderful wishes." She turned in smoke and disappeared into the water. Star tried to stop her, but it was too late.

"Darn it." He changed back and stood up. "She got away." He stepped out of the fountain and walked back to the cart, dripping wet.

It was almost sundown when Star came back to the Acres, tired and angry. First the ghost, then a sudden rush at the market, followed by a giant cotton candy monster that he had to fight. In other words, today sucked.

_Let's just have dinner and go to bed. _He thought as he walked down the path through the acres. He loved to do that sort of thing after a bad day, it usually helps his mood. What he saw certainly didn't.

AJ was still bucking trees. She hit them in a way that Star could tell was sloppy. She missed every third kick, and even when she did hit it, there wasn't enough force to knock all the apples down, which made the process longer. He sighed, then started walking over to see his sister, who just fell on her flank after missing another tree. She looked almost dead, not even acknowledging him as he stood next to her.

"AJ." She snapped right awake. "Come on, it's getting late.

"No." She yawned. "Ah'm fine." The orange mare slurred as she attempted to get up.

"AJ, you're a mess." Star grabbed her foreleg. "Come on, you're going to bed."

She whipped his hoof away. "Ah said ah'm fine Star!" She glared daggers at him. He flinched back in shock. "Now, unlike you, ah have work tah finish." AJ growled as she walked.

"AJ, please." Star walked in front of her. "You need to relax, let me finish up this lot-"

"No!" AJ bellowed. "Ah don't need your help, if ah let y'all work, ya'll just go and fight a ghost like ya always do!" Star immediately registered what she said and felt guilty.

"AJ, I'm sorry-"

"Sorry's not good enough, we need ya tah be here, maybe if ya didn't have yur powers, we wouldn't have this problem." AJ said, looking him dead in the eye. "Maybe then Big Mac wouldn't have broken his bones if he didn't try tah beat ya!"

"He… he what?" Star asked feebly.

"He was jealous of yur powers." She looked away. "So am ah."

There was dead silence. "Just leave me alone." With that, AJ walked away, leaving her twin behind.

Star stared into space for what felt like forever, until he finally organized his thoughts. "I need to talk to Big Mac." He ran through the orchard toward the house.

His older brother sat there on the porch, looking at nothing. "Big Mac!" He blinked twice and looked at Star as he ran up from the treeline. "I need to talk to you!" BIg Mac sighed, he knew exactly what this was about. He motioned for Star to sit next to him on the porch, which he did so.

"Big Mac, did you break your back cause you're jealous of me?" Star said bluntly.

Big Mac sighed, "Eeyup." He looked down at the floor.

"I'm sorry." Star said. Big Mac's head shot right up. He did not expect that.

"Why are you sorry?" He asked.

Star sighed, then looked away. "If I hadn't tried that stupid spell, none of this would've happened." He looked back. "We would still be normal, ****I ****would still be normal." His eyes started to water. "I just wanted to see Ma and Pa again so badly. I thought I was smart enough to figure it out. Turns out all I had was Apple Pride."

Big Mac wrapped his front hooves around his little brother and leaned forward. "We all did Star, it wasn't your fault, never think it was." Star took a few deep breaths and broke the hug.

"Thanks Big Mac, I'll do my best tah fix this, and I promise to make more time whenever I can." Both stallions smiled, then frowned when they thought about AJ. "We have to help her, she's going tah collapse at this rate."

"Eeyup."

Star thought about what to do, then he remembered Desiree. "I have to deal with that ghost too." He then got an idea. "Maybe I can kill two birds with one stone."

It was next morning in Ponyville, and it could not be a worse day. Dozens of ponies ended up in the hospital for food poisoning, Rainbow Dash ended up in Twilight's tree, and to top it all off, a horde of bunnies stampeded through town. All incidents had one thing in common, Applejack was the cause. Star witnessed the destruction with a calm demeanour as he walked up to the fountain that was somehow not destroyed in the bunny stampede. He pulled out a bit, through it in, and made his wish. "I wish Desiree would appear before me." There was a few seconds of silence before steam rose from the water.

"So you have wished it, so shall it be." The voice of Desiree echoed from the thickening smoke. In a flash, the wishing ghost appeared before Star, striking a rather sexy pose. _Ew. _"What is your wish?"

"I wish for you to turn everything back to normal." Star said with determination. "Fix the town, and give my sister a break."

Desiree laughed. "I can fix the town and turn everything back to normal, but your sister Applejack, she's the one that chose to work, I merely provided opportunities." She explained. In a flash, the town was fixed and all the weird things that occurred over the past couple of days was erased. "Now, to make up for the last wish, what do you desire?"

Star smiled, "I wish you would go into the thermos!"

"So you have wished it, so shall it-" She never got to finish as she was sucked right into the thermos. "Wait, why did I grant that?" Star closed the lid in satisfaction.

"Now time tah talk to AJ."

Star flew through the fields, looking for any signs of Applejack. Nothing, all the trees still had apples. With the way she was working, she could be anywhere. "Guess I'll have to do this on hoof." He landed in a bush and quickly transformed. Star quickly looked around to make sure he wasn't seen by Granny or Bloom. All clear, so he kept up his search.

It didn't take long to find his sister then. She was right there. Hanging in the air by the cart she was supposed to pulling. Normally, the half-ghost would ask how she managed to do that, but then remembered who she was, Applejack always managed to do something like this when she was tired.

Star calmly walked up to the sleeping mare and sighed. He grabbed the cart and gently set it down right, then detached AJ and carried her inside.

Applejack groaned as she woke up. She blinked a few times to get the spots out of her eyes. Once they were gone, AJ got a good look at her roof. _Wait, the roof?! _She shot straight up. "The fields!"

"Are being taken care of." An elderly voice finished for her. Applejack looked to see Granny Smith sitting in her rocking chair next to the bed.

"Granny?" AJ blinked again. "What happened?"

"Yur brother found ya passed out in the fields, he brought ya inside and took ovur." The orange mare raised an eyebrow, then her eyes widened. Granny started to get up and walk toward the door. "Glad tah see y'all finally get some rest. Now stay in bed, Big Mac is outside, said he wanted tah say a few words to ya, once ya woke up." With that, she left the room and was replaced by Big Mac a few seconds later.

The red stallion closed the door and stood there. There was an awkward silence that lasted for a few seconds. "Ah said some horrible things, didn't ah." AJ questioned, though it sounded a bit more like a statement.

"Eeyup."

AJ didn't even look at her older brother. "Ah need tah apologize too."

"Eeyup." Big Mac walked over toward the bed. "But that can wait, ya need more rest. Star is still in the North Field." He explained. AJ nodded, then went back to sleep.

Star, in his officially dubbed Phantom Form, sat on a branch after finishing the last trees in the North Fields. He pulled out the apple he kept for a snack and took a huge bite out of it. He smiled in satisfaction, nothing can beat Apple Family apples when it comes to quality taste.

What Star didn't know was that he was being watched. Not far away, a pair of binoculars could be seen appearing out of a bush. Twilight pulled out her quill and notepad and jotted down some notes. _Strange, my books on spirits say they only feed on the fear and misery of ponies and lack any taste for actual food, so why does Inviso-Bill seem to enjoy the taste of the apple? _

The more she tried to figure it out, the more this spirit confused her. It didn't behave like any other spirit besides the fact that it was territorial and had a huge presence of dark magic. Maybe she would find out when she dissects it. With that thought in mind, Twilight pulled out her prototype Anti-Ghost magic blaster, _Why do I have the urge to name it something with the word Sparkle in it?, _and aimed at Inviso-Bill. She steadied her breathing and was about to pull the trigger when the spirit gasped, groaned, then flew off into the night sky.

Twilight sighed, then noted down the event. She teleported back to the library and decided to call it a night.


	4. Chapter 4: A Hunter's Scourge

It was night time at the Ponyville Train Station. The building was empty except for the packages left for the morning mail train, and the ghostly conductor floating around the ticket office. He pulled out his watch and groaned in annoyance. "Late again!"

"Sorry, my sister always says I'm a bit behind schedule." The ghost conductor looked over to see Star Phantom phase through the wall. "But I'm sure I'll make the morning express." The conductor was about to say something when Star blasted him with an ecto-ray. "Sorry, no ticket."

This got the conductor mad. "You stinkin' tramp." He growled before he summoned a hammer.

"Yikes, and I thought my old teachers were grouchy when they didn't get my paperwork." He ducked to avoid having his head slammed by the hammer as the conductor ghost swung wildly.

Star elbowed him in the gut before blasting him into the ground. The ghost wobbled up, taken aback by the blow. "Guys, now!" Star shouted. On que, the door to the station was kicked open and AJ and Big Mac barged in.

"Room clear!" Big Mac shouted right before Applejack sucked the ghost into the thermos.

"You dirty, no good tramps!" were his last words before the lid was slammed shut.

"Room clear?" AJ snickered, "Ya know we ain't Royal Guard, right?" Big Mac just grinned sheepishly and shrugged as AJ handed him the thermos.

"Could you guys focus a little bit?" Star floated down in front of them. "You two wanted to come along and help, so please take this seriously."

"Relax Star." AJ said, "We can handle this." She patted her brother hard on the back, hard enough to make him drop the thermos. The impact forced it open and all the ghosts inside immediately flew off into the night. Now it was Applejack's turn to grin sheepishly as her siblings glared at her.

The whole incident could be seen from a pair of high-tech binoculars. "Huh, so he has ponies helping him out." The figure lowered his binoculars. "Still, that's a quality prize." The conductor ghost floated up to the suited Griffon. "Ask me for a ticket and I'll atomize you." The conductor looked at him with fear for a second before returning to a pissed off expression

"Damn tramps." He muttered before flying off. The griffon rolled his eyes, then flew off to his hideout.

****Star Phantom in:****  
****Hunter's Scourge.****

It was the next day as most of the Apple Family sat down to breakfast. "AJ, where's yur brother?" Granny Smith asked as she put the plate of pancakes on the table.

"Probably still sleeping." She said simply, truth.  
"Again?" Granny raised an eyebrow. "He's been doin' that a lot lately. But why?"

"All the gho-" Big Mac elbowed the orange mare in the gut, cutting her off. "-orgeous stars out at night. Y'all know how much he loves 'em." Half-truth.

Granny sighed. "Applebloom, go wake up yur brother." The little filly nodded, then ran up the stairs.

It was at that moment that Star Phantom decided to arrive in his room, with large, dark bags under his eyes. He transformed back into Star Apple and landed belly first onto his bed. He was up all night recapturing those ghosts, but he got them all and now he could sleep.

For about 8 seconds before Applebloom pounded on his door. "Get up Star, it's time fur breakfast!" Damn she was loud. He groaned before sluggishly getting up from the bed. He walked over and opened the door. Applebloom was already heading back downstairs, knowing she got him up. Star sighed, then headed downstairs.

He wasn't even in the kitchen when he could hear Granny hollering at him. "Star Apple, ah know ya like tah see the stars at night." Star looked at his twin and older brother with a raised eyebrow. They not-so-subtly motioned for him to play along. "But ya can't do it all night. Ya need sleep."

"Right, sorry Granny, won't happen again."

"Ah hope so, now sit down and eat, y'all got work to do." Star quickly sat down and gobbled up his stack of pancakes. Breakfast was always quick in the Apple Family.

It was a little later when Star was at the market with the cart again. He leaned against the counter trying not to fall asleep. He hated pulling all nighters trying to fight ghosts, but he didn't have much choice. At least it wasn't a busy day. Maybe he could just take a small nap.

"Hey Star!"

Or not. Maybe he could work. "Hey Pinkie, what's up?"

"Have you seen Rainbow Dash around?" The pink pony asked.

"Not this morning, no." Star shrugged. "She was supposed to talk to AJ later about the weather, but I don't know when later is."

"Duh, later is later, silly." Star just stared at her. "Oh well, thanks anyway." With that, the strange mare literally bounced away. Star sighed.

_It's just Pinkie being Pinkie. Don't dwell on it. _Star leaned his head back down, hoping that no one else would interrupt him. He felt a large piece of cold air leave his mouth. The half-ghost groaned before ducking behind the counter and changing into Phantom.

He quickly flew off into the air and immediately saw who was causing the problem. "Will you be my friend?!" A large, blue earth pony stallion without a cutie mark was flying around the market, scaring the shoppers and shopkeepers.

"Klemper." Star muttered. This guy was almost as annoying as the Box Ghost. He flew up to the stallion and tapped his shoulder.

The ghost turned around with a smile, expecting a friend. "Klemper, what are you doing here?" Phantom asked.

"Well, a griffon told me he would be my friend if I found you and… well, I just wanted some friends." He looked at the ground sadly.

"Wait, what griffon?" Star asked.

"This griffon." Star had no time to turn around before a glowing green net wrapped itself around him. The weight sent him flying into the ground, hard. He quickly blinked away the spots and looked at his attacker. A giant, armored griffon landed on the ground in front of him. It's glowing green eyes showing nothing but sadistic pleasure.

"Who are you?" The trapped pony asked.

"I… am Skulker, the World's Greatest Hunter." The griffon said, standing proudly. "And you… are my latest prize." Star's eyes widened.

"What?!"

"That's right ghost child." The griffon taunted. "You'll be a famous attraction in my zoo." He pulled out a picture that showed all sorts of monsters in different cages. "I've collected all sorts of monsters and creatures across the globe, and now I have a ghost in my collection." He grinned maliciously, "I hope you like performing, because-"

"Will you be my friend now?!" Klemper chose the best time to interrupt. Skulker growled before firing a net at the friend seeking ghost, trapping him.

This was the perfect distraction for Star, who phased into the ground. Skulker looked back to see his prize gone. He looked around frantically until Star reappeared, hoof first, out of the ground. The hoof found solid ground on the hunter's chin, sending him flying into the air.

Star looked at his hoof, which was now throbbing in pain. "What is this guy made out of?" He didn't have time to dwell on it as a missile came screaming at him. Star screamed and flew high into the air, the missile following close behind.

At Sweet Apple Acres, Big Mac and Applejack were doing their usual work when they heard a whoosh and felt a large wind above their heads. They both looked up to see Rainbow Dash hovering about them. "AJ, you have to hurry!" She shouted. "The ghost punk and some armored griffon are destroying the market!" The Apple siblings' eyes widened. AJ wasted no time running after Rainbow as she flew back toward town.

_Please be safe Star. _

Star looked back just in time for the missile to catch up with him. He quickly fired an ecto-blast at it, which wasn't a good idea in hindsight. The missile exploded and the blast sent Star spiraling toward the ground.

Skulker grinned like a maniac as he watched his prize fall. He then prepared a net and a cage. _Time to collect._ He aimed his net launcher at the falling phantom, but he never got the chance to fire.

He was knocked several feet to the left by something hitting him in the side. He glared at whoever just pushed him, but stopped when he saw who it was. Rainbow Dash. _Uh oh. I forgot she lived here. _

"Hey creep." She said. "Leave our town alone."

"Hey hey, take it easy." Skulker put his claws up. "I'm just here for the ghost colt."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and destroying half the market in the process." She got into a boxing pose. "Now either put em up or leave!"

Skulker sighed, then looked at his target, who found a landing spot on a nearby roof. He glared. "Next time ghost colt." Then disappeared before Rainbow could land a punch.

"Dang It!"

Star groaned as he got up from his rooftop crash site. _It's the middle of the day, why all the stars?_ He shook his head to clear his vision when he saw the destruction caused in their fight. "Welp, so much for market day." He muttered before he turned invisible and flew off. _Not dealing with pissed off crowds today._

He quickly found a spot to transform and blend back into the crowds without anypony noticing. Except for his sister, who immediately tackled him in a hug. "Star, ah'm so glad ur alright."

"I'd be better if you weren't crushing my bruised ribs!" He cried through gritted teeth.

AJ immediately backed off and started looking him over. "Did he cut you, how many hooves am ah holdin' up?"

"One, it's always one." Star sighed. "Just a bit bruised. But that gear. It was so high tech."

"How high tech we talkin'?" AJ asked as the two walked back toward Sweet Apple Acres.

"Really high tech. Ghost tracking weapons, blasters, nets-" Star blinked, then realized. "Klemper!"

Twilight looked ready to blow up another building. _How could one ghost be so annoying?! _

"Will you be my friend?" Klemper asked again. "Please?"

"No!" Twilight shouted. "Now come with me!" She grabbed the net with her magic and started to tug when a blue light grabbed the captured ghost and sucked him into a thermos, held by Star Phantom.

"The only place he's going…" He closed the lid and sealed it up. "Is back to the Spirit Realm."

"Hey!" Twilight shouted. But it went unheard as Phantom flew off into the Everfree. Twilight was about to give chase when a brown stallion stepped in front of her.

"Miss Twilight, so glad you made it." Doctor Hooves exclaimed. "We really need your magic to help clean up the mess." Twilight groaned before agreeing to help. _He'll be back._

Star would always do this at the end of the day. After collecting the ghosts, he would fly into the Everfree. The reason being was that there was a natural Spirit Portal that formed not far from the castle. He could easily dump any ghost from the thermos since it had the launching feature. All he has to do is point the contraption forward and fire the ghosts back toward the other side. A simple process.

Too bad it was made complicated by his paranoia. Star constantly looked over his shoulder to make sure the griffon wasn't following him. _He could be anywhere._ He finally reached the portal, inside a small cave just a couple of yards away from the Castle of the Two Sisters. _Which reminds me, I should check up on how Luna's doing. _He thought as he went through the dumping process. _Maybe if I get some actual sleep tonight, I can talk to her through a dream. _

Klemper and the other ghosts he caught went flying back through the portal, with Klemper asking all of them if they would be his friends. _I almost feel sorry him… and them._

He scanned the skies one last time before flying back into town, invisible of course.

Some time went by and the town went back to some form of normality. Most of the damage was fixed and the market was reopen. The only difference now was Star constantly looking around nervously. _I can't believe I actually have a hunter after me. Where could he be and why did he run when he had me?_ His thoughts were interrupted by some soft giggling. He looked around, but couldn't see anyone.

He sighed, then turned back to his cart, which now had oranges instead of apples. "Wait what?!" The soft giggling turned to laughter as Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie appeared from the nearby bushes with large sacks full of apples. Star gave them a sly smile before laughing along with them. "Okay, ya got me." He said as he stopped. "Now put my apples back, I got work to do." But they were already gone.

Star sighed, then went to rearrange everything. He gasped a breath of cold air right before one of the apples exploded. The ghost colt was suddenly pinned to the ground with glowing blue slime covering his mouth and hoofs.

"Got you now." Skulker appeared out of nowhere, his teeth glowing brightly from his wide smile. Star tried to figure a way out of the situation. The goop disappeared from his mouth.

"Wait, you got the wrong stallion, I'm no ghost."

"Cut the act ghost colt, I already know." Star's eyes widened. If this griffon knew, then he couldn't hide.

"How… how'd you find out?" Star asked nervously.

"A hunter always observes his prey, learns it's habits, it's patterns." He paused to glare evilly at the half-ghost. "It's home."

_Oh sweet Celestia, please no. _"Look, do whatever you want with me, just leave my family out of this!" Star was begging.

"Don't worry, I won't. Hunter's honor." Skulker said, placing his right hand over his chest. "As long as you cooperate and _they _don't interfere."

"You leave my brother alone!" Both of them looked over to see Applejack charging at them, rope in hoof.

Skulker's smile grew larger and sharper. "Well, guess who's about to interfere." Star's eyes widened in fear before they glowed toxic green with fury. The ghost colt tried to figure out a way to escape before AJ got hurt.

AJ grabbed the rope with her mouth, and whipped it at Skulker. He just stood there and went intangible, expecting the rope to phase right through him. What he didn't expect was the rope to wrap perfectly around his waist and yank him into the air.

AJ spun the griffon around a few times before yanking the rope toward her. The force of the pull against his body caused the knot on the rope to come undone and sent Skulker soaring a few blocks away. The sight of the ghost griffon threw the town into a panic. This gained the attention of Twilight Sparkle, who immediately ran to her library.

"AJ, you should not have done that!" Star shouted.

"This is no time to be noble and fight mah battles, ah'm helpin' you." She said as she ripped the goo off of Star's hooves.

"No, you don't understand." Star exclaimed. He then explained the deal he made with Skulker, which only angered Applejack.

"Star, we're family. We ain't leavin' ya alone tah fight like that. Let him make his threats." She stood proudly. "Big Mac and Ah can handle ourselves."

"You can, but what about Granny and Bloom?" That woke his twin right up.

"Oh." The fear that thought produced covered her face.

"Yeah 'oh'." Star sighed. "I'm thankful for the save, but we better get back and warn Big Mac. We need to keep our family close." AJ nodded, and the two quickly closed down the shop before heading home.

To say the three siblings didn't sleep well that night would be a massive understatement.

It was the next day in town. Star was working the Apple cart with Granny while AJ and Big Mac worked the fields and Applebloom was in school. Star looked around, treating everything be touched like a landmine. That hunter could be anywhere, laid any trap.

"Worried bout some ghost comin' tah get ye?" Star looked at his grandmother who looked at him with a teasing face. She laughed at the slightly confused looked on his face, unaware at how spot on she was. "I'm just kiddin' yuggin'. If y'all are feelin' antsy, go get somethin' tah eat. Ah cun run the cart fur a few."

"Are ya sure Granny?" He asked, worried about leaving her alone.

Granny scoffed. "Ah used tah run an entire store all by my lonesome. Ah cun run a cart fur days if ah had tah." She suddenly felt something tap her back and looked to see nothing there. Star would have called out the tail that poked from behind the cart when his ghost sense went off.

"You know what Granny, I'll go do that right now, be back in a bit." He immediately ran into a nearby alley, and transformed. He flew off into the air and had to immediately dodge an ecto blast that was aimed at his head.

"Not wasting time, eh Skulker."

The hunter in question immediately made himself known. "You're right, I want this done when there can't be interruptions." He aimed a claw forward and several spats of goo shot out, which Star dodged with ease.

"Ah! Nice aim dweeb!" A voice called out from below. This left Star confused and humored while Skulker was stunned.

Below them was another griffon covered in goo, who looked extremely pissed off compared to hurt. "Gilda." The armored griffon murmured. Star took advantage of this by blasting him with a focused ecto-blast, the force of the impact sending Skulker further away from town.

The ghost colt immediately gave chase, completely ignoring the seething griffon below as she removed the last of the goo. "Nice going, stupid ghosts." She walked down the street with her barely contained rage, right into a yellow pegasus with a pink mane.

Star chose to ignore the loud roar that came from town. _Big Mac probably just stubbed his hoof on a root again._ Instead, he continued to evade several shots from Skulker by using the trees of the Everfree to his advantage. The battle quickly shifted into the Everfree forest, with both sides cut up and dented. It was a long battle either, but both combatants were giving it their all.

"Hold still you rodent!" Skulker shouted right before firing another missle. Star easily avoided it by weaving between the trees. Star lead the hunter further into the forest, looking for a specific spot. "Stay and fight me like a true ghost!"

_He wants a ghost to fight, he'll get one. _Star fired a blast as the hunter, which missed and only served to annoy him even more. "If you're going to miss child, at least make it closer." _What hunter tells a prey how to defend themselves better?_

Star sped off further into the forest, Skulker following close behind. The chase continued on until Star found a large cave. _There you are. _He grinned before flying into a cave and making himself invisible. Skulker followed him in immediately afterward.

The cave was pitch black, forcing Skulker to activate his flashlight. He looked around, but couldn't see the ghost colt. "Where is that whelp?" He was so focused on finding Star that he didn't noticed the giant blue star bear that was groggily waking up.

Skulker's ghost tracking equipment started going wild, greatly confusing him. "That ghost punk doesn't have that much spectral energy, where is this coming from?" A very loud growl gave him his answer. Skulker slowly turned around to see an Ursa Minor stand menacingly over him, his sharp teeth and claws shining their own glow.

Skulker only had two words to say to this twist. "Well s-" Words he never finished before the glowing bear attacked.

Star could hear the carnage from outside the cave as he sat lazily on a rock, waiting until it was all over. He came up with the plan last night after he was supposed to go to bed. He was to lure Skulker into the cave, have either the Ursa Major or Minor tear him apart, and deal with what was left. Simple, and if he failed. His older brother and twin sister could handle themselves. They "borrowed" enough equipment from Doctor Whooves, like the thermos and spectral rope to name a couple, and skills to hold their own. He could trust them to make it out okay. Of course, Star still felt a little hesitant to let them help out in fights, he assured himself that they could do it.

He smiled in comfort right before Skulker's mangled armor came out in bits and pieces. First the legs, then the wings, then the torso, and finally the head, which had tiny, green legs sticking out through a hole where the neck should be. Star raised an eyebrow as he investigated the sight.

He grabbed one of the legs and pulled the creature out. It was like a little green blob with a face, two legs, and two arms. "Fear me ghost child." It said. "For I am Skulker, the greatest hunter in the world!" Star was trying so hard not to laugh. _You gotta be kidding me. _He pulled out the thermos and dropped Skulker into the blue beam. The hunter's threats were silenced by the close of the cap.

"Yeah, I'll fear ya alright." Star laughed. "I'll dump him into the portal tomorrow." With that problem solved, the half ghost took off back toward town, where a very pissed off griffon just left.

It was late at night once again at Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack told Star all about the griffon Gilda, who blew up at the party thrown by Pinkie after she was pranked one too many times. So overall, they weren't given the best representation of griffons this week.

With the entire family fast asleep, Star thought about what to say to Luna. "I can't just write 'Hey, Your Highness, wanna chat about ghosts?'" He said to himself. "I'll just sleep on it." On that thought, he floated from his chair to his bed, making little to no noise. He got under the covers and fell asleep in an instant.

The entire space was filled with stars. StarShine was enjoying immensely. _I bet I can name all the constellations in here. _

"I bet you could too." Star turned to see Luna appear from a random door. He quickly bowed, causing Luna to giggle. "Star, you do not need to bow to me, remember?" Star got up and smiled sheepishly while blushing.

"Right, sorry." He said right before he realised, "Luna, what are you doing here?" The alicorn smiled.

"I am the Princess of the Night, Star." She explained. "My duties include guarding the dreams of my subjects. I was just practicing the spell and thought I would come visit."

"Wow Luna, that's incredible!" Star exclaimed. "Also, glad to see you're getting over the olden speech thing."

Luna smiled. "Thank you, although I still break into it in some situations, it's not too much of a problem."

"Well that's good." Star noticed a patch of grass take form under him. He was about to sit down when he remembered the royalty in the room. "Would you like to sit down?" He said with an added motion with his hoof. Luna gladly took the offer and sat next to the stallion. They sat in silence for a few moments before Star spoke again.

"I never got to thank you properly for the ticket."

"Of course, tis the least I could do after saving me." Star laughed at that.

"I wouldn't call knocking you around saving you." He said with guilt. "If there were another way, I would've-"

"Star." Luna interrupted. "You did the right thing, I was pretty, as you say, 'bat turd crazy' at the time."

"Thanks to that spirit possessing you." He interrupted.

"Never interrupt me while I am interrupting you." Luna chastised playfully. "Which reminds me, have you had any more adventures since we last spoke?" Star broke out laughing. "I'll take that as a yes."

Star took a good four seconds to calm down. "Adventures wouldn't be the best way to describe fighting dragon possessed ponies, a wishing ghost, and a high tech hunter."

"Well, care to tell?" Luna asked, getting comfortable. "We have a couple of hours til dawn. Maybe tell me a few adventures from before my arrival." Star smiled and told her the many events that were thrust upon him ever since he became Star Phantom.


	5. Chapter 5: Magician's Play

Star Apple was once again operating the Apple Family Cart in the Ponyville Market; and, for once, he was actually able to enjoy it. The market was the perfect amount of busy, not slow, yet also not overcrowded, and there wasn't a single ghost to deal with, none at all. Not even the Box Ghost was a problem, which a celebration within itself. Star's talk with Luna the other night was awesome, sharing stories from both their pasts. _I wonder if I should write them down. _He was broken from his thoughts by the increasing sound of an excited crowd.

"What could that be?" He went out from behind the cart toward the noise, and lo and behold, there was a massive crowd formed around a small, makeshift stage. He was about to question what the show was about when smoke exploded from the stage. From the smoke, appeared a light blue unicorn wearing a purple wizard hat and cape. "Fillies and gentlecolts, behold the Great and Powerful Trrrrixie!" Fireworks went off from behind the stage as the unicorn announced herself. The fireworks instantly amazed the crowd. Star only had one thought on this. _That is the loopiest outfit I've ever seen._

****Star Phantom in: ****

****Magician's Play. ****

**Magic *snort snort* **

Star watched the show with mild interest, Trixie was doing the usual magic show shticks. Pulling a rabbit out of a hat, making a cloth disappear, and having fireworks go off after every act. This, of course, enthralled the town. _Seriously, how does this three year old birthday party stuff impress a town of adult ponies?_

Trixie did another "amazing" act and was about to close off when Rainbow Dash started groaning about the blue unicorn being nothing but a boaster. AJ and Rarity wholeheartedly agreed. "Well, to these neigh sayers here, I'll perform my greatest feat of all." She paused before pulling out a red crystal ball. "Behold, the Orb of Spectral Influence."

The crowd seemed curious and amazed at the slightly glowing orb. Star rolled his eyes. _Right, like I'm gonna listen to a red Hearth's Warming ornament. _The crystal ball started to glow, which caught his attention, all of his attention. "Behold crowd, for I shall summon a spirit and bring it under my control." The crowd oohed while AJ seemed slightly nervous.

Trixie raised the orb into the air with her magic. "Spirits of Ponyville, come to me, and obey The Great and Powerful Trixie!"

Star focused on the orb, as well as the voice holding it. His vision went red, as well as his eyes. "Obey the Great and Powerful Trixie." He repeated blankly. The entranced stallion transformed into Phantom and flew down onto the stage, much to the surprise of the crowd, and horror of Applejack.

Trixie smiled smugly at the entranced half-ghost. "Well, what have we here? Name yourself."

Star stared at her blankly. "My name is-"

"Nevermind, ghosts who obey Trixie do not get names unless she permits it." The unicorn said as she turned back to the crowd. "Now I shall make this spirit do tricks, what tricks do you wish for it to perform?" The crowd went wild with ideas. Some were basic, such as fly in a figure eight, go invisible, make them invisible, and lift the heaviest thing in town. Others were insane, like bake some cupcakes while floating in the air, or go into a lab and let it be dissected. AJ glared at the crowd, especially the purple unicorn who called out the dissection part. _Why do ah put up with ya Twilight?_

AJ tried to think of a way to get out of this situation. She, Big Mac, and Star all thought of different scenarios and how to deal with them, but none of them thought of a plan when it came down to Star being controlled by a magician for a stage show. _Think AJ, think. _An idea came to mind and she then formed it into a plan. She was about to enact that plan when Rainbow decided to unintentionally botch it with one sentence.

"I challenge him to a race!"

Trixie laughed. "Very well, let's see if your speed could match my minion's. Name the challenge."

"Race me to the Castle in the Everfree and back." The crowd oohed. Star looked to Trixie for instruction, which she gave.

"You heard her, minion." She waved a dismissive hoof. "You may begin when ready, show her the might of Spirits." Star's eyes went from completely red to normal ones, only instead of green irises, they were blood red.

"With pleasure, my mistress." He said with a cocky grin.

"Bring it on creep!" Rainbow immediately took off, with Phantom following close behind. AJ watched them take off in fear. _Please be careful._

It didn't take long for the two racers to reach the Everfree, Phantom easily caught up to his rainbow maned opponent, who looked a little too cocky for her current situation. "You getting tired yet?!" She called to him. Star rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Oh please, I'm just getting started." He slowly crawled ahead, leaving Rainbow in his vapor trail. They reached the castle in no time. Once they were directly above the decaying structure, they did a 180 degree turn back toward town. Star was able to turn quicker than Rainbow however, which gave him a slight lead. It didn't take long for the two of them to get back into town.

To the naked eye, it looked like a tie. Thankfully, Twilight used a fast motion camera to record who won, and also to track Star's speed for later analysis. Several shots revealed that Star Phantom arrived first with enough time to pose for the camera several times before flying back and crossing the finish line a second time before Rainbow crossed. Rainbow would later mumble about a cheating ghostfreak.

Trixie displayed the winning photo with pride, for herself of course. "As you can see, the Great and Powerful Trixie can control the fastest ghosts in the land."

"Oh puhlease." Rarity scoffed. "It's easy to control a ghost to do simple things like racing." The fashionista walked onto the stage with several random objects in her magic. "But to truly show power and control, you must make them create an amazing work of art."

_Will these ponies stop using my brother as a showpiece?! _AJ thought as she glared at the white unicorn.

Trixie smiled smugly before turning to the mesmerized ghost. "Minion, you heard her. Create art." Star immediately flew off to Rarity's Boutique and came back with several jewels and thread, much to the white unicorn's horror.

"My babies!"

Star then started weaving them together. His hooves and materials became a large blur. Once he stopped, he held up a beautiful necklace, which he gently placed around his mistress' neck. The crowd was in awe of the beauty of the necklace. Rarity would have no doubt enjoyed it as well, but she was busy mourning the loss of her gems.

Trixie laughed triumphantly. "Witness how my control can make a beast who only knows destruction, instead create." Applejack was ready to tackle the magician, but she held herself back.

"Now, that shall be all for the Great and Powerful Trrrrrrixie!" The blue unicorn and her minion disappeared in a large puff of smoke, amazing the crowd one last time and driving fear into Applejack. _What's she gonna do with Star?! _She immediately ran back to Sweet Apple Acres to inform Big Mac of the situation.

Trixie returned to her trailer with Star in tow. The hypnotized half ghost stares blankly as his mistress removed her hat and cape. She then placed the crystal ball on its special pedestal. The mare stared at it and her minion, a sly smile on her face. "It's been a while since I've had a ghost STALLION under my control." She walked up to her minion, this time giving him a thorough inspection. "My family controlled ghosts for generations. They used them for crime and other dirty jobs while I found a more entertaining use for them." She then walked over toward her bed. "Especially for myself." She laid down on her belly and looked at Star. "Now get over here and give me a massage."

"So that's the whole situation." Applejack finished explaining the situation to Big Mac, who hasn't even blinked since the story began. "What are we gonna do Big Mac?"

After the few seconds, the red stallion blinked at looked at his younger sister. "The library." Applejack raised at eyebrow. "We can look for a book tah see if there's a way to break the spell from that ball."

"Okay, but how do ya reckon Twilight will think?" She countered. "Won' it seem mighty suspicious when we come in and ask fur a book on ghosts?" Big Mac lowered his head, realizing how suspicious that was.

Applejack sighed. "We'll save that fur last resort. But we need somethin' else." She looked back toward town as the sun started to set and the moon took its place in the sky.

In Canterlot, Celestia was reading the letter Twilight just sent her, amazed and concerned at the information. A crystal ball with the power to control spirits. _A tool most favored by _Him. She summoned an empty scroll and quill, and wrote down instructions for Twilight to acquire that orb. _I will not allow that thing to remain available to others, who knows what evils that mare could be doing right now._

Trixie screamed in pleasure as Star managed to hit every pressure point on her body. "I'm definitely going to keep you." The stallion suddenly stopped, confusing Trixie. "Why have you stopped?" She turned to see her slave looking dazed.

"Huh, what?" His red eyes became neon green. "Where?"

Trixie starred in shock. "Is that… is that _free will_?" She immediately ran to grab the crystal ball, only for a still dazed Star to do the same. Both their hooves collided with the orb, causing it to the floor and crack.

A red light lit up the carriage, the beams flashing through the windows, followed by an agonizing scream. This managed to quickly wake up the sleeping Ponyville.

Star clutched his head as it felt like it was on fire while being crushed by hot metal. The half ghost then started lashing out on every item in the room. Trixie quickly ran out of her carriage, hoping to get as far away from the violent entity as possible. Lucky she got out when she did because a few seconds later, the carriage and attachable stage exploded in a large ectoplasmic blast.

The explosion woke up Applejack, causing her to jump out bed and see what was happening. To her horror, she could see a large fire that sprouted right in the middle of town, along with several green flashes. "Star." The orange earth pony immediately ran to get Big Mac.

Back in town, the situation was getting worse. Twilight and the rest of the girls gathered at the Library, with Twilight demanding an explanation. Rainbow Dash started off. "That Inviso-Bill just started destroying everything it sees. Trixie's carriage is gone, and two homes-" There was a sudden large explosion outside. "Make that three, homes that he just damaged, and we got a lotta fires."

"All the animals are frightened too, all the pets are fleeing to my place for shelter." Fluttershy quietly explained, wanting to be with them more than anything else.

Twilight thought for a moment before she had an idea. "Okay, here's the plan." "Rainbow Dash, you and the other pegasi get some rain clouds and put out that fire, I'll cover you." The cyan pegasus saluted. "Fluttershy, you gather up the remaining animals and take them all to your place." The yellow pegasus nodded. "Pinkie, Rarity, get the townsfolk to safety." They nodded. "I'll try to distract Invisio-Bill long enough for you guys to get to safety." _And maybe if I'm lucky, I can capture him for experiments. _"Alright, let's go!" The five mares immediately ran off to complete their tasks.

Twilight went down to her lab and ran toward a table with a large white sheet over it. She yanked the sheet off with her magic to reveal her Sparkle Anti-Ghost Ray™. "Alright ghost colt, you're going down."

At the same time, Applejack and Big Mac arrived in town to assess the situation. "We need tah hurry up and find Star." AJ said aloud, since no pony was left in town anyway.

"Yeah, but how?" Big Mac asked. His question was answered by a wall exploding and revealing the half ghost. The two looked at their brother in worry and slight fear.

His blood red eyes glared at them with pain and hatred, while his teeth were bared in a growl. AJ took a very cautious step toward him. "Star, it's us. Big Mac and AJ, yur family." She said softly, giving Fluttershy a run for her money. Star continued to glare and growl at them like a rabid dog, giving the Apple siblings little hope.

The rabid ghost's eyes suddenly blink from red to green and he tried to shake away the daze. "AJ? Big Mac?" The two suddenly smiles, thinking they got through to him. "I… I-" His eyes suddenly went red again and he screamed in pure agony while clutching his head.

Trixie suddenly appeared from around the corner of the building that Star just blew up, the cracked, glowing orb in her magic. "Spirit, return to Trixie's side as her minion at once!" She commanded. Star screamed again before painfully glaring at the unicorn.

He was looking for the one that caused him pain and she finally revealed herself. _Destroy her! Destroy the pain! _The mentally unstable ghost snarled at Trixie like a wild animal, causing the magician to step back in fright.

"How dare you growl at your mistress?" She said angrily, mostly to cover up her fright. "Obey Trixie!" She raised the orb again, causing Star more pain.

"Stop!" AJ shouted. "Yur makin' it worse!" Star charged at the blue unicorn, intending to destroy the one who caused him so much pain.

He never got the chance to reach her before he was blasted out of the air by an ecto-blast. Everypony looked over to see Twilight Sparkle stand there with her smoking ecto-gun. "Surrender Inviso-Bill." She ordered.

_Another pony who causes pain, get her. _Star fired a blast at the purple unicorn, which she blocked with a magical shield. He snarled before charging at her, ecto-rays prepped in his hooves. He started pounding on the shield, immediately creating cracks in the bubble.

Trixie was about to use the distraction to try again when she was tackled to the ground by AJ. The shock forced her to let go of the orb, gravity happily taking over. The red orb slammed onto the ground, shattering into several pieces.

The red in Star's eyes instantly changed to their normal green. "Huh?" He looked around, completely confused. "What's going on?"

"What's going on, Inviso-Bill, is that-" Twilight was suddenly interrupted by a wail of a defeated Trixie.

"No! My family's crystal ball!" The blue unicorn looked at her family heirloom with anguish. "My family treasure, gone!" She then glared at Star. "All because of you!"

Star recoiled. "Me? What did I do? You're the one that hypnotized me!"

She obviously ignored him as she raised her hoof in the air. "Know this, ghost. The Great and Powerful Trixie WILL be back for revenge!" With her proclamation over, she slammed a smoke bomb on the ground, failing to hide her escape as she could be clearly seen running down the street.

Twilight and Applejack shook their heads in disgust. "Now, Phantom." Twilight turned. "I need you to come with…" The pony in question was not there. "... Me." Twilight groaned. "Fine, let's just clean up this mess." With that, Twilight went off to help clean up the debri that littered the streets as the residence did the same. Applejack, however, ran back to Sweet Apple Acres.

Star Apple kicked the bucket hard. "Darn it, what did I do?" He looked out from the barn door toward the smoking town. "I did that." Star looked at his hooves and shivered, memories of the message he gave burning it's way into his skull.

"Star!" The half ghost's attention was drawn toward the calling of his name. He could see Applejack and Big Mac coming toward him.

"Hey guys." He sighed and waited for them to come closer before continuing. "I did some horrible things tonight, didn't I?"

"It wasn't yur fault, Star." Big Mac stated.

"Besides, it ain't nothin' ya can't fix." AJ added. Star looked at them blankly, then smiled slightly.

"You're right, like always… But…" He hesitated before taking a deep breath. "I think it might be a good idea if I go away for a day or two."

"What?!" Both of his siblings yelled at once.

"But why?" Big Mac continued.

"I was planning on it anyway, before this whole thing." He sat down in a small pile of hay. "I talked to Princess Luna and told her I would visit tomorrow, you know, when I make that delivery to Canterlot."

AJ's upset feelings made themselves appear on her face. "And you were gunna tell us..?"

"I was gonna tell ya this morning, but Big Mac was busy, and you were in town. So I was gonna do it tonight." He took a deep breath. "It was just for the night, so that Luna could help me figure out my powers a bit more, how this happened. Maybe a away to finally close that portal in the Castle." This got the siblings thinking. No more portal, no more ghosts, and finally, the chance to live a somewhat normal life.

"If there's even a chance of that happening, I'm going to take it." All three Apples looked at each other in silence for a few moments, then AJ and Big Mac conceded.

"Alright." AJ sighed. "Make sure ya pack a toothbrush, paste, some snacks…"

"Okay, okay." Star put up his front hooves defensively. "I needed your understanding, not your babysitter attitude." His twin put him in a playful headlock.

"Too bad, ya got it whether ya want or not." The three had a good laugh, enjoying the brief moment of family joy after the events of today.


	6. Chapter 6: Princess Blood

The Majestic City of Canterlot. Capital of Equestria. Home to the Princesses and Nobles. The city on the side of a mountain, held up by a mix of earth pony ingenuity, pegasi science, and unicorn magic. Impressive to most, although some would disagree.

"Oh great, ya got us lost _again_." The three ghostly vultures were those some.

"I did not."

"Then why haven't we found the castle yet, ya idiot!"

"Uh, can I help you?" The three arguing old birds looked to see Star Phantom floating in front of them.

"Yeah, we're looking for this mare." They pulled out a picture for Star to look at. "We already tried the castle, but she wasn't there."

Star looked at the photo carefully. It was a mare, dark blue fur, a starry night mane, moon for a cutie mark, wings, a horn, a lot like "Princess Luna?!"

"Huh, so the colt _does_ know who she is." The vulture was blasted into a wall by an ecto ray from Star, who took a battle pose.

"I won't let you old spooks near her!"

"Hey, spook is a derogatory term."

"We prefer, Spectrals. Thank you." With that, the two remaining vultures charged at him with ecto covered beaks. Due to their age, they were slow enough to where Star could dodge them easily.

It was a pretty quick fight, ending with Star knocking all three of the old vultures into a wall. "Okay, okay, we get it, yeesh."

"We yield, you win this round."

Before Star could do more, the vultures disappeared in a flash of light. With the threat gone for now, the half ghost looked at the photo. "Why were they after her?"

****Star Phantom in:****

****Princess Blood****

**Not real blood, not that kind of fanfic.**

Princess Luna was sitting down enjoying a good book, or at least she wished it was a good book. In reality, she was reading a recent complaint from an idiotic noble.

_Dear Nightmare Princess,_  
_Please stop creating spirits to haunt my estate. I do not deserve such torture. I request that these entities be removed immediately, or else Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia, will be informed of this cruelty. I await either a solution or a response._  
_Sincerely,_  
_CashGrab_

"I should send these nobles to the moon." She mumbled as she crumbled the letter into a ball.

"I don't know, that might be a bit overkill, don't ya think?" The Moon Princess snapped her head to see Star Phantom leaning on the window, a window that was several stories off the ground. "Mind if I come in?"

"Of course, Mr. Phantom, or should I call you Apple?" Luna gested. Star snickered before flying inside. "So tell me, what brings you here?"

Star stuttered for a minute, confusing the alicorn. "Everything alright?"

"Y-yeah, it's just…" He looked away in shame. "I destroyed a good section of Ponyville last night-"

"What?!" Luna cried out, shocked. But she was quickly shushed by Star.

"Let me explain." Luna laid back down on her pillow and listened as Star explained what happened. Trixie's Crystal Ball, how it broke, the blind rage caused by the pain after it cracked. Throughout the explanation, Luna remained silent, trying to remember where she saw the crystal ball before. She knew what it was, but she doesn't remember how she knew.

Her thoughts were broken when she realized that Star had stopped talking. She saw him sit there, looking down at the floor in shame, his messy mane covering his eyes.

"I'm truly sorry you had to go through that Star." Luna said, placing a hoof on his shoulder. He looked at her with a smile.

"It comes with the territory." He said sincerely. There was an awkward pause. "So… How've you been?" Luna giggled at the slight awkwardness in his voice.

"Good, still trying to reintegrate, learning the modern tongue, along with some of the more recent laws put in place." She pulled out a scroll from her desk drawer and showed it to Star. "Like this one."

Star looked at the law carefully. "The Anti-Spirit Magic Act?"

"Yes, a law passed by my sister after my banishment." Luna did her own shame face with that statement. "She decided that nopony else should touch this magic, for fear of more possessions." Star raised an eyebrow, and rested his head on his hoof.

"Then why was that book in the library?" He muttered under his breath. Luna pretended she didn't hear it, he never told her how he got his hooves on the spell, or how he managed to use it. That was something he wanted to keep private, and she respected that.

"Yes, one of many anti-spirit laws that my sister has put in over the years, and now with the recent spike in activity, she has received petitions to activate a new branch of the guard, one that focuses on keeping spirit magic contained." Star's eyebrow could not raise higher. "But enough about that, I'm sure you wish to… hang out."

Star's stomach suddenly groaned, making him blush. "Hehe, sure, maybe we can hang out in the kitchen." Luna giggled and nodded before the two walked out of the room toward the kitchen, unaware that they were being watched.

The kitchen staff have all gone home for the night, so Luna and Star had free reign over the kitchen. "Hey, Luna, the kitchen staff won't mind what we eat, will they?" Star asked as he took a bite of hay sandwich. Luna swallowed the piece of apple that was in her mouth before answering.

"They shouldn't, besides, one of their princesses is up, they should be prepared to cook at any moment." She said with a sly smirk. Star smiled as he took another bite of his sandwich.

"Indeed." Both of them snapped their heads towards the voice, standing in the doorway was a white unicorn with a blonde mane, and a face that defined fruitloop. "Such a shame peasants don't know when to keep at their place." Star could tell that statement was directed at him.

"Prince Blueblood." Luna said with clenched teeth. "What a surprise to see you up this late." Star raised an eyebrow, he didn't know what, but he knew something bad was going on between the two.

"Well, I was feeling rather peckish and decided to grab a late night snack." Blueblood explained. _Boy, he sure sounds smug about it. _Star thought. The white unicorn then walked over to the cabinet and opened it. Inside were an assortment of treats, the best that Canterlot had to offer. He grabbed a small bag of oats before closing the cabinet. "I'll just enjoy this in my room, sleep well Princess Luna, and… commoner." Blueblood's grin made it obvious what his intention of that word was, causing both Luna and Star to glare at him until he was out of sight.

"Sheesh, what a fruitloop." Star said plainly as he finished up his sandwich.

"Indeed." Luna looked at her apple, only two bites could be seen on the produce. "I think I've lost my appetite."

"That bad?" Star asked, his face remaining surprisingly blank. Luna nodded, then sighed.

"Yes, that bad." Luna threw the apple in the trash, then explained. "He's been bothering me ever since I came back. Apparently, he's an unofficial member of the Royal Family, if him calling my sister Auntie has anything merit."

"Yikes, that's rough." Star said sympathetically. Having a fruitloop for a nephew must stink beyond comparison.

"Indeed." Luna sighed. "But that is the hoof I am dealt." She then looked at the clock on the wall. "My goodness, tis nearly 4, surely you must be tired."

"Oh me? Nah." Star said with a chill out bro pose. "I'm good."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" Star nodded. "Very well, let us see if you can last through my courts."

It was Star's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Really?" Luna nodded in confirmation. "Okay. Let's do it." It was at that moment Star's ghost sense off. "Um… might need to do a raincheck on that." Star transformed into Phantom and flew into the hallway.

He looked around, feeling that the ghost was near. "Where could it-" A blast to his back knocked him into the wall. He quickly recovered and turned around.

There in front of him was a unicorn with pale blue fur, a pointed black mane, fangs, red eyes, and a white cape. He looked like Dracula who didn't get any sun while hanging out in the Arctic for three weeks.

"Well well, what have we here?" The Ghost asked. "An earth pony peasant who has no business being in a building of royalty." His spiked grin would make normal ponies fertilize the ground, but Star could care less.

"Well well, another total fruitloop, this castle is chock full of 'em." Star quipped, his hooves glowing green. He fired a shot at the unicorn, but what happened next shocked him. The unicorn simply raised a toxic pink shield and deflected the ray, sending it into a nearby wall. There was a large explosion that alerted many guards and staff.

"Oh goody, here comes the Royal Guard from their tea break." The unicorn slowly dissipated as he said, "Until next time… commoner." Star tried to stop him, but he was too late.

"Darnit, gotta change back." He dipped back into the kitchen as the guards came rushing down the hallway.

Said guards kicked the kitchen door in, barging through spears first. "Princess, are you alright?" One asked. Luna simply sat at the table, Star staying invisible in the seat next to her.

"Yes, I may have jumped at a shadow. I will repair the wall immediately." The night princess explained plainly. The guards stood dumbfounded, they did not expect that excuse.

"I see. Be more careful in the future, please." He said, as if addressing a foal caught running in the middle of a busy street. With the situation resolved, the guards quickly returned to their positions. Luna and Star stared at the door they kicked in for a few minutes before Star reappeared and cleared his throat.

"So, uh, are we going to that Night Court?"

_Wow, a night dedicated to being with a princess… and it's boring as heck. _

Not. A. Single. Pony showed up. Luna sat there on her makeshift throne for three hours. Star laid next to her, playing with an ecto ball he formed. The silence was becoming unbearable.

"Soooo." Star asked, looking around the empty hall. "Is this normal?" Luna sighed. Her face said it all. This was normal. The half-ghost inwardly cringed at the realization.

"I hate just how normal it is." Luna growled, her eyes narrowed at the door, probably planning on burning it down. After a few seconds, that glare was replaced by a depressed droop. "But I don't blame them." Star's eyes widened. "If I didn't become that _thing_, there would be no reason to fear the night, no reason to fear… me." Tears started pooling in her eyes, her mind and heart filled with self-loathing and guilt.

The earth pony stared at her in disbelief, but he shook away that feeling and grew a look of understanding, and a feeling of determination. He walked over to her side, and put a hoof on her back. He gently rubbed it up and down, a comforting smile filled Luna's vision. "It wasn't your fault." Was all Star said, his voice soft and gentle. "You were trying to do some good." Luna looked at him, stray tears attempted to fall down her cheeks, but her comforting companion stopped them dead with his free hoof.

"But it was." She retorted. "If I wasn't stupid enough to use that spell... this never would have happened." The dark blue alicorn got up and started pacing. "I wouldn't have been banished. Ponies might've started to like me rather than fear me, and you!" Star recoiled at the hoof pointed at him. Luna pulled the hoof back and sat on the floor in shame. "You probably wouldn't have found the spell and used it. You would still be normal, have no reason to hide."

The tears started to flow freely, with no friendly to stop them. That hoof was too busy rubbing her back in sympathy. It was the same thing Big Mac did for him when he was crying after being picked on at school, the same thing he did to comfort AJ when their parents died, and when he comforted AppleBloom after she had a hard day at school. Star was no stranger to comforting those he cared about, it was a instinct that was instilled as a member of an ever growing family. The stallion would also do everything in his power to make things better, to make them smile. _And I know just how to do that._

The half ghost apple farmer stood and marched toward the door. He opened it and saw a secretary who lookee bored beyond her mind. "Excuse me?" He said, his head being the only thing exposed. The secretary looked at him, intrigued. "Any appointments or last minute entries?" The mare instantly shook her head. "Alright then, cancel Night Court for the rest of night."

The secretary stood up in disbelief. "Excuse me, but only  
Her Royal Highness can-"

"Her Highness, isn't feeling well. A slight headache from the lack of inactivity and overthinking simple things." Star said, his voice carrying a royal tone. "She wished to retire for the rest of the night, and to _not _be disturbed. Am I understood?"

"Y-yes sir. Have a good evening. I'll… lock up the courtroom."

Star nodded his thanks, and closed the door. He quickly walked back over to Luna and presented her a hoof.

Luna noticed a bright light from the top of her vision. When she went to look at it, a white hoof with a black foreleg glowed before her. Attached to the leg was Star Phantom, a soft smile on his face. "Come with me, Your Highness." He said with teasing elegance. "Tis time for you flight." The Princess of the Night stared at him in wonder, then took his hoof without a second thought.

The ghostly earth pony wrapped his forelegs around her and took off, phasing through the walls of the courtroom. Luna felt fright for only a moment, but that feeling faded away as she saw the City if Canterlot in the light of the night. Ponies either slept in their beds or were out working the night shifts of their business. To many, this may seem normal, but to the Princess, it was a sight to behold. Star smiled at the look of wonder in Luna's eyes as she observed everything around them.

"Flying like this, being completely weightless, is a step beyond amazing." The alicorn said, her voice portraying the same feeling of wonder her eyes reflected.

Those eyes suddenly turned towards him, and in an instant, he lost focus in them. The stare lasted a few seconds before being interrupted by the two slamming into the side of a building. The two fell right into a large pile of hay, giving them a semi soft landing.

"Falling, however, is not." Luna groaned while pulling herself out of the hay. Star floated out and started brushing away loose strands of hay from her fur, causing the Princess to blush. Once he was done, Star realized what he did and blushed with her.

"I am so sorry." "No no, it's fine." They said at the same time. The two started giggling, the red slowly dissipating from their cheeks.

"We'd better get back." Star said, floating above Luna, he extended a hoof. Right before he could accept it, a pink ecto blast slammed into the halfa, sending him back into the wall.

"Star!" Luna was about to rush to his aide when a sudden chill reached into her body. For a moment, she felt a familiar feeling. The feeling of being overshadowed.

Star groaned, the side where he was hit felt hot and his head was throbbing. He looked around, but couldn't see the cart that hit him. A loud explosion put those thoughts away. He looked up to see a large column of smoke.

The earth pony shot into the air, and to his horror, he saw a huge fire engulfing an apartment building. In the streets below, ponies were running for their lives. "She's back!" "She's insane!" "It's Nightmare Moon!"

"What?!" Star was suddenly struck by a blue magic bolt, this knocked him off balanced, and forced him to crash land onto a nearby roof. A familiar maniacal laugh from above him made Star fear looking up. Braving a peak revealed Luna, her horn alight with magic, her teeth glistening in a sadistic grin, and her eyes glowing red.

"Yes." She said, her voice not her own. "I, Nightmare Moon, have returned. Bow to me, my subjects!"

"Somepony call the guard!" A random unicorn shouted.

"Yes, do call the guard. I cannot wait to see you wrapped in the chains you deserve, _Princess._" Not Luna muttered under her breath.

Star quickly got up, his green eyes glowing brightly. He catapulted himself at Luna, surprising her, and grabbing her. "Who are you?!" He shouted, demanding an answer.

Luna recoiled in mock fear. "Oh no, giving me a pair of scary eyes, are we?" Her sadistic grin grew to the point of full expansion. She leaned in. "I am Nightmare Moon, the Mare in the Moon come to bring eternal night."

"Liar." Star growled. His teeth nearly cracking as he clenched them harder, along with his toxic green eyes becoming blindingly bright. "I know you're not her. Get out of her body _now._"

"If you're so sure, come and make me." Star faltered slightly at that invitation, an action which the entity inside Luna immediately picked up on. "You don't know how to do it, do you?" The entity laughed loudly. "You must be so young to not know!"

The entity was right, Star didn't know. He was only half ghost for a few months, he was only used to the basics. The half ghost knew he could overshadow a pony, but he had no right to practice. Why would he? Who would he overshadow? Star almost felt defeated, but then he remembered watching ghosts possess inanimate objects, a skill he's learned overtime was to adapt and use what he's seen as an example of how to do it. Just follow the example.

Star brought out his own grin, turned intangible and entered Luna's body. The body thrashed around like a blanket in the wind before the same vampire wannabe ghost flew out and crashed landed on the roof.

The ghost had no time to recover before Star/Luna grabbed him and pinned him to the ground. "I'm going to ask, one more time." He/She growled. "Who. Are. You?"

"The name is Ghost Blood, commoner." The word on the end made Star's widen. The pieces clicked instantly.

"Blue Blood." He whispered.

"My pony form, yes." The half ghost said, a grin forming on his face. "My little secret, just like yours."

"What?"

"Oh don't act so clueless." Ghost Blood said with a roll of the eyes. "I know all about your half ghost status. We both used that spell." The pinned unicorn explained. "Look, Let's make a deal."

Star raised an eyebrow. "What deal?"

"We both want the same thing, our secrets kept safe. I want my reputation safe. You want Princess Luna safe." He said matter-of-factly. "The deal is, we keep our secrets quiet, I don't harm Princess Luna intentionally, deal?"

Star thought for a few moments, was this deal worth it? Keep my secret safe and protect Luna? That was good. Keeping his secret safe, along with his status? Not so good. But the deal would be worth it with one change. "I'll say yes, if you promise to never hurt her, ever."

Ghost Blood laughed. "That's entirely up to you. You must protect her." The sound of hundreds of hooves and clanking armor could be heard in the distance. "I suggest you hurry Little Dragon, I can hear the guards."

Star sighed. "Deal."

"Ah good, and since you agreed, I'll cut you some slack."

"How?"

"Throw me." Star grinned devilishly.

Ghost Blood soared into the building across the street, his impact left a unicorn shaped crater in the wall. "That was way too hard." He said, his voice muffled by the brick. The halfa recovered and out on a BridleWay style performance. "Curse you, Princess Luna, you foiled my plans! Ah!" He disintegrated into thin air as Star/Luna posed heroically on the edge.

Some ponies cheered as they watched their princess fly off into the night, just as the guard arrived.

Once safely back in her room, Star exited Luna's body. He quickly caught her as her body gave out, unable to cope with two other souls within her. The tired stallion lifted her into a comfortable position and gently laid her on her bed. He gently placed the covers over her body and shut off the lights. He used his the glow his eyes to check the room one last time before laying down on the floor and going into a very troubled sleep.

Luna slowly opened her eyes, her head pounding, her body stiff. Her bed roof was the first thing she saw, then memories of last night returned. She immediately shot up to a sitting position. "Star!" Her eyes frantically scanned the room, but stopped at seeing a note on her nightstand.

The note was held in front of her with her magic as she read it.

_Dear Princess Luna,_  
_Sorry about leaving without saying goodbye. I followed BlueBlood as he left the castle, as part of our deal, he's moving to his private estate further in the mountain. DreamTalk with me when you get the chance. _  
_Signed,_  
_StarShine Apple_

_P.S. Congrats on becoming the local hero. _

_Local hero?_ She asked in her head. A loud knock shook her door.

"Luna?" The voice of Celestia echoed from the other side. "May I come in?" The alicorn quickly hid the note.

"Yes, come in." No sooner had the door opened did Celestia tackle her younger sister in a huge hug.

"Oh LuLu, I'm so relieved you're okay?" The ended, giving the Sun Princess a chance to grab her sister's head. "What were you thinking? Why would you fight the Canterlot Ghost?" Luna was beyond confused, but decided not to voice it. Her elder sister continued to rant.

"How could it possess you? That makes it even more dangerous." Celestia said, pacing back and forth. "First that phantom stallion destroying Ponyville, now this." She sighed. "I think it's time to put the new branch of the Guard in place."

Luna's eyes widened. "Sister, surely that is overkill."

"Not anymore. After what has happened these passed few days, I have no choice. The bill to fund the branch will be signed today as soon as I sit on that throne." She looked back at her younger sister, seeing a horrified look on her face. Her sisterly instincts took over and she started to comfort her younger sibling. "Don't worry, LuLu, everything will be alright." She gave a quick hug before heading out the door. "Get some rest, sister. You deserve it."

Once again, Luna was alone. She looked out the window, her only thoughts being; _I need to warn Star._


	7. Chapter 7: Discovering Zecora

Two weeks went by since Star's Adventure in Canterlot, and he was still trying to piece everything together. Now the Anti-Spirit Laws were becoming stricter, and the new Anti-Spirit Guard Branch, aka the Guards In White, were activating. Life had gotten complicated, well, more complicated than it already was. Applejack and Big Mac were beyond shocked when he told them, and it didn't help AJ when she had to deal with a dragon and endure a sleepover with Rarity afterwards.

Star kept low for those events, giving time for his trail to go cold. He had to look over his shoulder the entire way home, and that was while he was in his normal form. To say Star was paranoid was an understatement.

But today, he was hoping to finally have a chance to relax. Today was market day, this day was his therapy, where he could just sell apples and not worry about being captured and dissected by a shadow organization.

_Sweet Celestia, a counselor would have a field day with me._ He thought as he walked into town. His thoughts were broken by something different. Normally his thoughts were broken by a random pony trying to talk to him, or a ghost trying blast a hole in him, but this time, it was different. His thoughts were broken by the silence.

_When did Market Day make Ponyville a Ghost Town? _The earth pony blinked. _Bad pun brain, very bad pun. _He continued into town toward the market area. All the stalls were there, but they were closed. Strange.

_Why is everypony hiding? Did Applejack lead another stampede into town? _His silent jab at his twin was followed by the sound of scraping, like hooves digging into the dirt.

_Okay… creep alert at maximum. _Star ducked into an alley and transformed into Phantom. He went invisible before flying over toward the digging sound. It didn't take him long to find out what was causing the sound.

It was a cloaked figure standing in the middle of the market. _What the heck is this? _The cloak hood shifted slightly, indicating that the pony's head was moving from left to right.

To the average pony, this may be scary. After all, ponies fear the unknown. But Star was different, he was the unknown, and he knew better than to assume. His Ma taught him better than that.

_He was much younger in those days, he got into another fight with Dash Wing, a bully at school who got away with a lot because he had a cutie mark. His mother was nursing his bruises. _

_"__Stupid Dash, why is he such a jerk to me?" _

_"__Because, Sweetie." Buttercup said. "He judged ya long before he knew ya, all he did was see your blank flank and judge. I know his folks well enough to know how they treat ponies without cutie marks." His mother sighed. "Ah wish ponies didn't act like that, judge a pony by what you are rather than who you are. Deciding your not worth the love and care you deserve. If only he..." Star looked at his mother, and saw tears forming in her eyes. He gave his ma a big hug. She hugged him back and smiled. _

_"__Promise me ya won't judge without getting to know somepony, Star." _

_"__I promise, Ma." Buttercup broke the hug and helped her son up. _

_"__Good, now come on. Help me make a cake for the Cakes. They're party's tonight and I want to make it extra special." The two walked into the kitchen, Star forgetting about his injuries at the thought of cake and a party. _

Star sighed. _I promise Ma._ He dropped the invisibility and flew down.

****Star Phantom in: ****

**Discovering Zecora**

_**Don't judge this chapter by its title.**_

At the same time, Applejack, her friends, and her little sister Applebloom, were all huddled inside a darkened Sugar Cube Corner. All of them were hiding from Zecora, the mysterious pony that showed up every once in a while, scaring everypony in town. Twilight, however, was not buying it.

"Okay then, what does Zecora do that makes her so scary?"

Rainbow Dash started off. "Well first, she shows up once a month."  
"Oh my." Came the sarcasm of one Twilight Sparkle.

"Then." Continued Rarity, ignoring the purple unicorn. "She lurks by the stalls."

"How mysterious."

"And she'll dig at the ground." Fluttershy added while reenacting the action.

"Good gracious." Twilight did a mock fear expression before dropping the act. "I'm sorry, but that's just silly." The purple unicorn started listing logical reasons for Zecora being here.

Feeling boredom coming on, Rainbow Dash decided to look out the window. To her shock, Zecora was talking to that ghost punk Inviso-Bill. "Hey, it's Inviso-Bill!" This caught everypony's attention, especially Twilight's, AJ's, and AppleBloom's. All three of them had very different thoughts.

Twilight: _Oh my gosh. If Inviso-Bill is working with Zecora, she must have some association with spirit magic, that's illegal! Calm down Twilight, we don't know for sure. Let's look into this before calling the GIW. _

AppleJack: _What is Star doing? Who knows what Zecora could do to him! I can't let him get tricked, but how do I help without looking suspicious? _

AppleBloom:_ Woah! Inviso-Bill! If he's brave enough to stand up to Zecora, then I should be too. Time to be a big pony! _With that thought in mind, the little filly trotted out completely unnoticed by the distracted adults.

AppleBloom almost immediately regretted her decision. She wanted to be brave, like her hero, but she never talked to Inviso-Bill, and she'll admit, she was slightly afraid after what happened when Trixie was in-town. AJ explained that it wasn't his fault, that it was that weird orb she had that made him go nuts, so she gave him another chance. AB watched from behind Sugar Cube Corner. While she couldn't hear much, she can tell the two were having a nice conversation, if their smiles were anything to go by.

She watched for a few more seconds until Star floated over toward the Apple Stall. What happened next shocked her and the adults hiding in Sugar Cube Corner. He grabbed two golden apples from the cart and gave them to the zebra!

The following is a list of reactions:

AppleBloom: Oh my gosh, AJ is gonna be so mad!

AppleJack: That monster is making my brother steal from his own family. She must be using a curse on him!

Twilight Sparkle: He's stealing for her. Why? Is she controlling him? Is he her partner in crime?!

Rainbow Dash: That punk!

Rarity: How dastardly.

Fluttershy: That meanie!

Pinkie Pie: I… I don't even know what she's thinking. All I can see are mixed up lyrics to an unfinished song and… so… many… sweets.

Unknown to either one of them, Star and Zecora continued their conversation. "While I am thankful to you, I cannot take without paying what is due." Zecora said in her rhyming ways. The half ghost waved a hoof nonchalantly.

"Don't worry about it, consider it an apology for how my town is acting." His smile made it hard to argue. The zebra smiled back, and nodded a thanks as she put the golden apples into her saddle bag.

"Still, a way of thanks is required, for your kindness is to be admired." She thought for a moment before a loud growl echoed in the square. Zecora looked around as Star tried to cover his blush. It didn't work as she caught it and giggled.

"Sorry, had to skip breakfast this morning." This gave Zecora an idea.

"If you refuse the bits I'd pay, perhaps some food will make you sway." Star thought for a moment. Stay in a ghost town and stay hungry or follow the zebra into the Everfree and have some food. The choice was obvious.

"Lead the way." The two walked/floated toward the edge of town and the forest, not noticing the little filly sneaking up behind them.

The trip was filled with chatter. Zecora asked Star all he knew about spirits, and the Spirit Realm. Much to his embarrassment, Star admitted that he didn't know much about any of it. Zecora accepted that, and decided to drop the subject. Instead, they started talking about the forest, and how it offers so much for ingredients for potions and other brews, a fact that greatly interested the half ghost.

_Maybe I could ask her to help make stuff for AJ, Big Mac, and I to fight ghosts. But that would mean revealing my secret. _Star thought for a moment longer._ Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing. _

"Phantom." Zecora started, but hesitated. Which greatly confused the stallion floating next to her. "While I know it is wrong of my to pry, I have to ask, how did one young such as you die?"

Star recoiled slightly. While he did not know much about ghosts, he did know that asking one how it died was very personal. Some actually go on a rampage when asked that question, the pain often being too much to bear again.

Zecora quickly realized her mistake. "Please, I beg for your forgiveness, I know that it should be none of my business."

"No no. I don't mind all that much, it's just… spirits hate being asked that type of question." He explained. "Like asking what you do in the closet sort of thing."

"That, I can understand, I should have thought of that beforehand."

Star shrugged. "It's no problem, just keep it in mind." He looked down at the flowers, noticing how Zecora took extra care not to touch them. "So are these flowers toxic?"

"AppleBloom?!" The two snapped their heads back to see AppleBloom, who looked between them and the six mares of Ponyville behind her, all six of them were knee deep in the blue flowers.

"Oh boy." Star muttered.

"Beware. Beware you Pony folk, those flowers of blue are not a joke." Zecora said as she backed into the fog of the Everfree. Star quickly disappeared, knowing that he would have to keep an eye on the others to what those flowers would do.

AppleBloom, who was safely away from the flowers, was suddenly grabbed by AJ. "AppleBloom, what did ah say about followin' strange ponies. Who knows what kinda crazy curse Zecora just put on you."

Twilight walked up. "While I doubt Zecora can do curses, Inviso-Bill is dangerous."

AJ didn't stay to listen, she was too angry at AppleBloom to trust her own mouth around Twilight. She went back home, ready to give Star a dang good talking to.

Star never felt more annoyed in his life. He knew that face on AJ as she came up the farm road. It was the face that said "Ah'm gonna give ya the tongue lashin' of yur life!" Something that he was NOT in the mood for.

He waited for AJ to give AB her punishment, which was extra chores in the morning, and to be supervised by somepony at all times. Once the punishment was given, the twins went into Star's room to talk.

"What were you thinkin', Star?" AJ said, barely above a whisper. Star responded at the same volume.

"Well sorry for getting to know somepony."

"She's dangerous Star."

"How do you know that?"

"Cause ah have no reason tah trust her. She ain't like us!"

Star glared angrily at his twin, memories of that talk with ButterCup came flooding back. "Ma would be so ashamed of you."

AJ recoiled in shock from the comment. "Get out AJ. I'm going tah bed." In seconds, the orange earth pony was flung out of the room, followed by the sound of the door slamming and locking.

AppleJack stared at the door for a few seconds before heading to her own room and having a restless night.

It was early the next morning, at least for the rest of Ponyville. For the Apple Family, sunrise was late. Thankfully, Star wasn't late. He was up, bright and early in the Orchard. He was currently in Phantom form, using his ghost strength to get the apples down faster. The half ghost thought about Zecora, and telling her his secret.

_Should I really tell her? I mean, what if she does something to me?_

_Dude, she has some knowledge on spirits, magic, and potions. She might be able to help heal you up. _

_I can heal fine, I have ghost powers._

_Ghost powers make it quicker, yeah, but they doesn't heal burns or scars right away. We were almost caught by Granny after the fight with Skulker._

_True, not to mention the stuff she could make to fight ghosts. Maybe we won't have to borrow from Doctor Hooves anymore. I hate having to do that. _

_Okay then. I'll tell to her. _

With his mind made up, he decided to see her once his chores were done. Which, with his powers, would not take long.

At the same time, AppleBloom awoke with a loud yawn. Her forelegs stretched themselves into an arc above her head. She looked around curiously, something was missing. AJ hadn't woken up yet. Normally, her big sister would wake her up to make sure she would do her morning chores.

The little filly was worried. She heard the fight between AppleJack and Star. Hearing what Star said about their mother was a shock. She never heard Star speak of their parents like that, and her older sister's reaction to what he said showed just how shocked and hurt she was.

The youngest Apple got up and headed over to her sister's room. She gave a quick knock and waited. Maybe AJ slept in, she was pretty stressed yesterday.

After a minute of silence. AppleBloom slowly opened the door. The room looked empty. The bed even looked mostly untouched. For a moment, she thought that maybe AJ got up extra early and left, forgetting about her sister's punishment. That thought was quickly destroyed by what she saw on the pillow.

Star, in his Apple form, placed the last bucket of apples in the cart that Big Mac was attached to. Today was the red stallion's turn at the stall, giving Star the rest of the day off. But knowing his luck, something was bound to happen.

"All set Big Mac?" He called.

The response was as expected. "Eeyup."

Star quickly ran down the road. "Great, see ya later." Once clear of the house, he transformed into Phantom and flew off toward the Everfree Forest to find Zecora.

It didn't take long to find Zecora. All the half ghost had to do was look for a zebra in the woods. She was out in the field, picking flowers for one of her brews.

The zebra had no idea he was there until she felt a cold hoof touch her shoulder. Her body reacted instantly, turning quickly to see Star smiling.

"Phantom, good to see you. But was the fright truly due?"

Star shrugged. "Eh, I'm a ghost, what do ya want?" The two laughed. Afterwards, Zecora secured her makeshift bag to make sure not to lose her ingredients.

"Come, let's go to my home, safe from the creatures that roam." The ghost colt agreed, and followed his exotic friend to her home.

AppleBloom was beyond nervous. Her older sister is the size of a worm, her friends all have something hilariously wrong with them, and Star was missing. But the one thing that took the cake was the fact that she was about to confront the zebra that might have been behind it all alone. Or at least, she thought she was alone.

The little filly's red mane started shifting around, like something was crawling in it. For a moment, she thought it was a bug. But then she realized that the bug was orange, and bugs were not supposed to be orange, or wearing AJ's hat.

_Oh, wait._ AJ stood on AB's snout, glaring at her little sister with tiny eyes. "AppleBloom, you turn around, right now!" The pony bigger pony stared at her for a few moments before giving a smug look. Three seconds later, AppleTiny was stranded on a branch while the yellow filly continued toward Zecora's. Thankfully, AppleJack's voice was so tiny that the young pony couldn't hear the obscenities spewing from her mouth.

Star and Zecora soon arrived at the hut. It was a hollowed out tree that had multiple masks on the front, as well as what appeared to be runes carved into the sides.

Those made the halfa slightly nervous. He didn't know how those runes would affect him. Runes were used to keep bad spirits away, however, to most, all spirits were bad. Zecora noticed his discomfort.

"Worry not, to enter safe indeed, an invite is all you need." She said as she opened the door. She then gave an inviting gesture to the half spectre.

"Thanks." Once inside, she closed the door and locked it up tight. The two sat in silence, the scene became very awkward very quickly.

After a minute of blinking, Star sighed. "Look, Zecora. There's something I need to tell you." The zebra in question gestured for him to continue.

"I… haven't been completely honest with you." She raised an eyebrow at that statement.

At the same time, AppleBloom pushed through the thicket of low branches that hide the hut from plain sight. Excites for her find, she immediately ran toward the window to see if she was home. Once there, the little filly could hear somepony talking. It sounded like Star if his voice had a bit more echo to it.

"I'm… not a full ghost." AB raised an eyebrow. She pulled herself up to see inside, and there was Inviso-Bill. _What does he mean by not a full ghost? _

A bright white ring surrounded the ghost colt. The ring split in two and started floating around his body. His black fur became white, his white mane became black, and his green eyes turned baby blue.

In less than 5 seconds, Inviso-Bill became _Star Apple! _AppleBloom let out a small gasp, which was unheard by Star or Zecora.

The zebra was too busy processing what she had just seen. He was half a ghost and half a pony. How? Why? How? And Why? And did she question How?

"Let me explain." The explanation would have to wait however, as frantic knocking could be heard. Both looked at the door in surprise. The knocking continued until Zecora opened the door. On the other side was a little yellow filly with a red mane. A further surprise for Star.

"AppleBloom? What are you doing out here?!"

"AJ's in trouble!" Star's confused look suddenly changed to determination. He got down to his little sister's eye level.

"Explain. Now." AppleBloom almost gulped with how fierce he sounded, but plucked up courage.

She explained everything. How AppleJack shrunk. Twilight's floppy horn. Rainbow's upside down wings. Pinkie's tongue. Rarity's bird's nest mane. Flutterguy. She left out the part where she left AppleTiny in the forest. Star looked mad enough as it was.

Star looked at Zecora, demanding an explanation. Zecora did so under a frightening glare. The blue flowers, aka Poison Joke, were the cause. The group of mares were in a whole field of them. The flowers had special abilities to change a pony for hilarious results. The cure was painfully simple. A bubble bath.

"Perfect. Give me a list of ingredients." Star said, the glare going away in favor of a relieved smile. Zecora obliged, quickly getting the list. Once in hoof, he looked it over carefully. His eyes looked at each item, and their location, with care as he memorized the list.  
He looked at AppleBloom and gestured for her to follow. Right before heading out the door, he looked at Zecora. "We'll be back. Cook up what you can." With that, Star closed the door. The two started walking toward town, since most of the stuff was bubble soap and a few healing remedies for any injuries they might get for the affects.

AppleBloom kept looking at Star, as if expecting him to transform and disappear. "How much did you see?" He asked, starting the young filly.

"Ah'm sorry Star. Ah-"

"Don't you dare apologize." He interrupted. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." That was a surprise. "I was scared 'bout how you and Granny would react. I didn't want you to be afraid of me."

AppleBloom smiled. "Liked ah'd be afraid of mah older brother." Star smiled back. "Does anypony else know?"

"Just Zecora, AppleJack, and Big Mac." _Just gonna keep Luna and Ghost Blood a secret a little longer. _

AB laughed. "Wow, small group."

"The smaller, the better. So please, keep it hush hush, okay?"

He quickly caught the young filly as she jumped up to hug him. "Notta problem, big bro." The moment lasted a few heart warming seconds before AppleBloom started laughing loudly. Star raised an eyebrow.

"So… why is your ghost name Inviso-Bill?" That eyebrow, along with its twin, drooped.

"Stupid news ponies with no real sense of names." He ruffled her mane and joined in the laugh. "Now come on." He transformed in Phantom. "We got ponies to save." He gripped his little sister tightly before taking off toward pony, much to the excitement of the pony in his forelegs.

"Woo hoo!"

Getting the stuff needed for the bath was pretty easy. Ponies were trying to make up for yesterday, getting rid of their products by selling them at half price. It was a normal trip for the most part, one that both siblings were glad for. The two hadn't had a chance to do normal things in a long time, especially once Star became Phantom.

The trot back was quiet too, as if even the Everfree Forest wanted the day to go by normally. Star decided to go back in Apple form, just to be normal for a bit. That normality changed when they saw the state of Zecora's hut.

The window was smashed, the door broken in, and several things were thrown about the entrance. Star and AppleBloom immediately rushed in to see Twilight and the others backing Zecora into a corner. Her cauldron was knocked over, the contents spilled all over the floor.

"What's going on here?!" Star demanded. AppleBloom hid behind her older brother, slightly fearful about what would happen next.

Rainbow Dash spoke first. "Star, glad you're here. You can help us kick Zecora's freaky flank!" She didn't notice the glare the two Apples were giving her.

"Why are you here?!" The stallion demanded, his teeth grinding against one another.

"Zecora has placed a curse on us." Twilight explained. Her horn flopping around as she turned her head. "As well as affiliating with a dangerous spirit!"

"Inviso-Bill ain't dangerous!" AppleBloom yelled, getting everypony's attention. "He was just bein' welcomin'."

"Also, Zecora didn't curse you." The mares looked more confused. "The flowers you walked through yesterday, they were Poison Joke." Silence reigned. Star sighed in annoyance. "The flower plays pranks on whoever touches it. This is just a joke."

Twilight suddenly looked peeved. "You seriously can't say this was a flower's idea of a joke." She countered, gesturing to the affected mares.

"Twilight." Star rebutted. "There's a book that describes the flower. Zecora has it right there." He pointed to a book that was resting on the nearby shelf. The purple unicorn studied it before a look of recognition appeared on her face.

"Wait a minute, I have this book in the library!"

Star walked up to her, his glare only slightly going soft. "And you didn't think to read this because?"

"I… thought the book was something irrelevant because of the cover." Star nearly cracked his skull with how hard he facehoofed.

"First. All six of you are going to apologize to Zecora. Second. You will fix her door and clean up the mess. But let's get you cured first so that you don't mess this up even more." The joke victims perked up at word cure.

The trip back through Ponyville was not normal. But then again, Star and AppleBloom didn't mind. Normal was overrated. Their level of weird was a lot more fun. Ponies panicked at the sight of the six mares and zebra as they headed over to the spa.

Lotus Blossom and Aloe were quick to get the special bath ready, with a bucket for AppleTiny, and in less than 10 minutes, the mares symptoms magically disappeared. The two spa earth ponies were impressed by the results.

"Zecora, you simply must give us the recipe for this bath. Not only does it cure Poison Joke, but it looks like a major relaxant."

The zebra simply nodded and offered more relaxing remedies for the spa to try out. With a sigh of satisfaction, Star walked out of the bath area and headed back toward Sweet Apple Acres.

The sun was setting over the apples trees of the Apple Family Orchard. Star sat out on the porch, watching the orange sky become darker. He heard hoof steps coming up from behind him, he knew who it was.

AJ stopped and joined in staring at the end of the day. "Ah thought about ya said and… you were right." Star looked at her, her eyes slightly watery. "Ma would be ashamed of me." Twin brother instincts took over and Star immediately stood and hugged her in comfort.

"I'm sorry." He said. "I should have worded it better."

"How could ya word it better? There is no other way to say it." AJ retorted.

"Good point." He smiled. "But Ma would be proud that ya took the time to know Zecora."

"Yeah." Their moment was interrupted by AppleBloom rushing up.

"Hey Star. I was wonderin'..." She shifted her hoof across the ground. "Could you take me flyin' again?"

AJ looked like a deer caught in a light. "Uh, uh, why would Star take ya flyin"?" Star laughed.

"It's okay, AJ. She knows." He turned to his little sister. "Sure, one time before dinner, as long as you don't call me Inviso-Bill ever again."

The little filly bounced in excitement as she lifted onto Star's back. He transformed into Phantom and crouched down. "Hold on tight." She did so right before he skyrocketed into the air, and flew off over the trees. The cheers of a happy little filly could be heard all the way to Canterlot. Unknown to any of them, a little old lady was watching them through the window.

Granny Smith gave a small laugh before looking up. "In all mah days, ah nevah though ah'd be the grandmother tah a half ghost." Her smile went soft. "Ah raised 'em as best ah could. Ah know y'all are proud." Her eyes went back to Star as he gave AppleBloom a real ride. "He'll tell me when he's ready."

With that done, Granny went to help Big Mac prepare dinner, thinking about her younger grandson and his other half.


	8. Chapter 8: Para Bugs

Another sunny day in Ponyville. The birds are singing, the townsfolk going about their daily routine, nothing could ruin the perfect day.

"Beware!"

Oh wait, something can. The Box Ghost was at it again, trying desperately to scare somepony. However, his attempts were for naught. The little fillies that were playing in the park looked more bored than scared.

"Beware!" The ghost shouted. "For I, The Box Ghost, am about to start my reign of cardboard terror!"

"You know, if you want to scare us with cardboard, make a bad school play." All three ponies looked up to see Star Phantom floating above them, his thermos in hand.

The two fillies looked relieved, but the Box Ghost was another story. "Fool! You dare try to stop my terrifying reign?! I shall show you true fear!" With his ghostly abilities, the Box Ghost summoned a box. (Truly frightening and so unexpected, right?) He flung the empty box at the ghost colt, who easily avoided it by going intangible.

With an aggravated sigh, he opened the thermos and sucked the lame ghost inside. "I shall return and you will beware!" Was the last thing heard by the Box Ghost before the lid was closed.

Star sighed again, and saw the two fillies wave at him. He smiled and waved back before flying off. The two fillies started talking eagerly about "Inviso-Bill," much to the annoyance of Twilight Sparkle, who came by as the scene was ending.

"That spirit better not mess up tomorrow." She muttered. "Nothing must ruin the Princess' visit."

Yes, that was happening tomorrow. Princess Celestia decided to visit her Most Faithful Student, and, in typical fashion, Twilight and the town immediately got to work cleaning up Ponyville and preparing a glorious welcome for their princess.

Everypony in town was nervous, but Star was nervous for a different reason. Celestia put the new anti-spirit laws in place. She knew about his ghost half, no doubt from the Nightmare Moon fiasco and from Twilight's reports. As he threw the Box Ghost back into the Spirit Realm, he tried to calm his nerves.

"Take it easy, Star." He said to himself. "She doesn't know your half ghost."

"But she knows about my ghost and she no doubt wants me strapped to an examination table."

"She does not."

"She looked ready to blast me when I was helping Luna. I'll be barbecued if I'm lucky." The panicking half ghost looked around before coming to a realization.

"I need to stop talking to myself." Once he agreed with himself on that idea, he flew off back toward town. He had a lot of cooking to do.

_**Star Phantom in:**_

_**Para Bugs**_

_**Ew, bugs!**_

The day was going great. No more ghosts, the chores were done, and the town was prepared. Now all Star had to do was wait and hope Celestia doesn't find out about his Phantom form and take him away. Sweat poured down his forehead at the thought. Sweat that Big Mac easily noticed.

"You'll be fine, Star." He said simply. His little brother looked at him unsurely. "Nothin' gonna happen." He added.

"Careful Mac, you know how Karma can be." Star warned half playfully.

Mac sighed, "Eeyup."

At that moment, Star's ghost sense went off. He looked at Big Mac with a knowing look. "See, told ya." He transformed into Star Phantom, and flew off to where his sense was telling him to go.

At the same time, on the outskirts of Ponyville, Fluttershy was out picking flowers to decorate the town. She sang quietly to herself as she picked the most beautiful flowers. A soft purring frightened her greatly, causing the yellow pegasus to dive behind a rock. She looked around until her eyes landed on a small bug with big, green eyes.

Her attitude changed as her heart melted at the sight. "Oh, aren't you the cutest thing ever." The bug floated over to her and nuzzled her cheek. She giggled at the sensation and noticed the little thing sniffing for something. The bug's eyes landed on the basket of flowers and those eyes grew hungry.

In less than ten seconds, the little creature dove into the basket, devoured the flowers, and flew back over toward the stunned Fluttershy. "My goodness, you must be hungry." Her eyes widened with realization. "Oh my, you poor thing. Come with me, we'll get you something to eat, and I'll introduce you to my friends." The shy pegasus let the bug get comfortable in her mane before trotting back toward Ponyville, she never noticed the ghostly unicorn watching her from a distance.

Ghost Blood laughed as his plan began. "Have fun, little sapling." He disappeared, knowing he'd see the results in tomorrow's newspaper.

It took awhile for Fluttershy to get her new pets home, after giving one to Twilight. It was so strange, she remembered finding on in the field, so where did the two others come from? She pondered that question as she approached her humble hobbit hole house.

As the den came into view, the yellow pegasus saw a sight that shocked her. Star Phantom stood defiantly against a small pack of 4 timberwolves. An overview of the field they were in showed several sections of kicked up dirt, scorch marks, and piles of burned wood. The ghost colt looked cut up and bruised in several places, giving the impression of a long and painful fight.

"Come on." The Phantom said confidently. "Come and get me, ya overgrown tree stumps."

The timberwolves took exception to that, and charged with a roar. Star blasted one, knocking it's legs off, and kicked another below the jaw. The other two, he had to dodge. However, one got a lucky hit and dug several claws into his back.

Phantom screamed in pain as the claws sliced his back, leaving three distinct lines on his fur and skin. He gritted his teeth and fired at the wolf, getting a direct hit on its head as it turned. The head exploded, and body quickly collapsed into a large pile of twigs.

The final wolf growled at the loss of its pack. After all, an alpha must have a pack. The timberwolf got into a pouncing stance, waiting for its opponent to make the next move. Star did so, firing an ecto blast that the wolf dodged.

Star fired several more blasts, the alpha wolf dodged them each time. The half ghost fired another ecto blast, and, once again, the wolf jumped clear. A second blast was fired and struck the wolf mind jump, making it explode into a firework of burned twigs.

Once he knew the wolf was destroyed, Star sat on his rear and sighed. "Another day, another pack of timberwolves smashed to pieces." His ghost sense went off again, so, with a groan, he got up and went after it.

His sense told him it was nearby, and that it wasn't the powerful. "I just hope this one is easier." He felt the ghostly presence in a nearby bush, said bush seemed to have a severe case of the shakes, which greatly confused the earth pony ghost. He prepared an ecto blast, just in-case, and stepped over to the bush.  
He moved the leaves and their branches aside to reveal Fluttershy, and a weird bug thing next to her. The yellow pegasus was curled up in a ball, her body shaking as tears seemed to flow from her eyes. Star stared at her for a moment before signing. He took another look at the bug, there it was. This bug was a ghost.

He laughed at the thought of having to fight this thing. "Okay then." The half ghost pulled out the thermos and removed the lid. "In ya go, little one." He pressed the button, but before he could capture the ghost bug, the device was slapped out of his hoof. There wasn't enough time to be surprised before his eyes met with turquoise ones. The stare they gave made him weak kneed, worse than when he was under the gaze of the townsfolk when they mobbed him after the Rarity Dragon incident.

"How dare you?!" The usually soft spoken Fluttershy shouted. "I mean, I know you're a scary ghost, but you would harm a tiny, cute, little bug?! Really?!" Star backed away in complete fear, however, the angry pegasus kept pace, never breaking eye contact.

"Why don't you go pick on somepony your own size, stop bullying the animals here, and act nice for a change?!"

Star was at a complete loss for words. He went invisible, and flew off as fast as he could to get away from those eyes, the eyes that would haunt him for the next several days.

It was late that evening at Sweet Apple Acres where Star explained to AJ, Big Mac, and AppleBloom what happened. They were surprised, Fluttershy only ever used her stare on animals, never before was it used on another pony. To hear Star so spooked was a testament to how effective "The Stare" was.

But Star shifted the focus to the real problem. "I can't catch that bug if Fluttershy is keeping it, I'll never have a chance to get close."

AppleJack shrugged. "Guess all we can do is wait." The others agreed and decided to get some sleep. It was anything but peaceful.

The next day rolled around and the town was still bustling with activity. Everypony in town was doing their best to make final preparations for the Royal Visit.

All except, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Pinkie. Pinkie was working on finding her instruments for… something, while the other mares were trying to keep the ever growing horde of bugs from getting too out of control. The four mares were all at Fluttershy's place, realizing just how dire their situation was when AppleJack showed up.

"Okay, Flutters, ah'm here with the delivery! But why did ya need so many-" The mare ducked as a large swarm swooped in and completely devoured the cart of apples she was hauling. _Oh great, more ghost bugs, Star's gonna have a real fit now._

"AppleJack!" Twilight shouted. "If any pony could round up critters, it's her." AJ looked ready to dump Twilight into a creek for volunteering her.

_Yeah, if my family were here._ She nodded. "Alright, but ah need all y'alls help tah fix this." Her friends nodded vigorously, excited about finally getting rid of these things. "Rainbow, Fluttershy. Y'all take them from above, don't let a single varmint get away." The two pegasi took off, rounding up the high flying bugs.

"Rarity, Twilight, you follow me, we'll take 'em from below." The unicorns nodded and followed the mare as she started rounding up the ghost bugs.

_Just hope Star can figure this out. I don't see this working too well. _

Star flew through the Everfree forest, landing in front of Zecora's hut. He knocked on the door, which Zecora immediately opened up to.

"Zecora, I need your help."

Star quickly explained what was happening, once done Zecora brought out a book titled Spirits, Animals, and Everything in Between. She turned to a certain page, and presented it to Star. He quickly read it outloud.

"Parasprites. Spirits that take the form of cute bugs as a way of tricking ponies into letting them be. These spirits are dangerous, as they consume an endless amount of food. They use this food to reproduce, turning an infestation of less than a dozen to a plague of thousands. There is no real effective way to exterminate them as their cute appearance always lower the guard of any innocent ponies that look at them. As long as one Parasprite remains, the swarm will grow again." Once done, he face hoofed.

"Oh great, there might be a whole plague in Ponyville by now!" At that moment, a huge ball of Parasprites rolled right on passed. Star and Zecora stared at it in awe before the half ghost gave chase with the thermos.

He quickly caught up to the ball, and opened the thermos. The suction quickly caught the swarm and once the last bug went inside, he slammed the lid tight. "Alright, swarm caught." Star muttered. "Now let's get rid of them." He flew over toward the portal, and prepared to launch the swarm into the Spirit Realm.

"Wait a minute." He stopped, having a sudden realization. "Maybe I should dump them inside the realm. So they can't slip out." With his decision made up, the earth pony flew into the portal, unaware of the huge swarm heading toward Ponyville.

Star expected a million things when he entered the spirit realm. He expected infinite torture, millions of spirits attacking him as soon as he appeared, or even an empty void where he would be forced to reflect on his past mistakes and be slowly driven to madness.

What he did not expect was the calmness of it all. Everywhere was green. Everything that wasn't empty space was either an island or a door. For every island, there were several doors. Star wanted to explore it all, to see what was on each of those islands, look behind each door of every shape and size. But that would have to be another day.

He could feel the Parasprites through the thermos, banging against the sides trying to escape. "I gotta put these things somewhere fast." Star looked in every direction for somewhere to dump them and just to his right was the perfect spot. An entire island that was covered in Parasprites.

The little bugs could be seen eating plants that were constantly regrowing. At the same time, whenever another Parasprite was created, the previous one was swallowed by what looked like a ghostly Venus Fly Trap. n island dedicated to maintaining Parasprites.

"Perfect." Star flew down to the island, and opened the thermos. The trapped ghost bugs wasted no time flying from the small device toward their new home. The half ghost made sure every last one was out before closing the lid and turning to head back toward the portal.

He stopped when he saw his path blocked by a large white stallion in a white suit and black fedora. The stallion was flanked by two ghost ponies in prison guard uniforms. Star stared in confusion as the stallion grabbed the thermos from his hooves.

"Hmm, Living World contraband in the Spirit Realm. That is against The Rules."

"Uh, uh… sorry, I wasn't aware of that, sir." Star managed to say.

"Negligence is no excuse, punk." The ghost snapped. "However, since this is a first offence, I'll let ya off with a warning." Star sighed in relief.

"However." He continued. "If I catch you breaking The Rules again, you and I, will have a problem. Understood?"

"Yes, sir, uh…"

"The name's Walker, punk, know it, fear it, obey it." With that, Walker and his guards flew off, leaving Star alone to his thoughts.

"Okay, not what I expected today." Star said before flying back through the portal. When he got back, the sight before him left him speechless.

Ponyville was almost completely destroyed, and a whole nother swarm of Parasprites was being lead out of town by Pinkie Pie carrying over a dozen instruments.

"I really need to set the bar low for surprises." He said as the scene played out before him. In the distance, he could see the Solar Chariot flying away, which meant that he managed to avoid Princess Celestia. So the day wasn't all that bad. His main goal was completed.

"Now to just go home and have dinner with the family."

"Oh come on!" Was the sound echoed across the acres, or what was left of it. The main building was completely destroyed, all of the family's belonging were either half eaten or crushed by what was left of the foundation. Thankfully, the barn was still intact, so they had a roof over their heads, and the important things like their paperwork and heirlooms were safe in the untouched basement.

"And here I was hoping for a nice, home cooked meal." He said to Big Mac, who nodded in solemn agreement.

"Yeah, some breakfast fur dinner." AJ said hungrily, breakfast for dinner being her favorite. AppleBloom just sighed. How was she going to explain to Miss Cheerilee about her homework. Granny just scoffed. This wasn't the first time the main house was destroyed, which was why she kept the upstairs area of the barn clear of clutter.

"Come on now, we got work tah do in the mornin', so get tah sleep." She said before slowly trotting toward the barn. The siblings watched their granny before smiling. Sure, they may not have real beds for a few days, but they had each other, and could always rebuild.


	9. Chapter 9: Therapy Office Blues

The sun shone on the Ponyville Schoolhouse. Inside the small red building were the many fillies and colts of the town. The classroom was filled with the noises of their conversations, all of them about their winter break. The winter break that ended about a week after Winter Wrap Up.

The conversations ceased when a loud tapping was heard. Miss Cheerilee continued to tap her hoof against the floor until it was the only thing that could be heard.

"Okay class. Now that winter break is over, I would like everypony to return their winter reading essays." The class groaned, but complied. The ones that actually did their winter readings quickly pulled the book and essay out from their bags and put them onto their teacher's desk. A few, however, tried to think of excuses as to why they couldn't do the assignment.

AppleBloom reached into her bag to grab her essay and book. But there was a problem, her bag felt way too soggy. In a panic, she quickly tried to salvage her paper and book from being too soaked. That only made things worse, since the paper was too wet, it split into several pieces and flew off all over the place.

The other students laughed at the little filly's misfortune, but that paled in comparison to the stern look from Cheerilee. "AppleBloom, was that your report, along with the book donated from the library?" The filly solemnly nodded, accepting the fact. The older mare sighed.

"Please see me after school, AppleBloom." was all the teacher said before heading back to her desk. Once there, she pulled out a quill and paper, and wrote a stern letter for the Apple Family.

No pony in the room saw the glowing green fly smirking on the wall.

****Star Phantom in:****

****Therapy Office Blues****

**Anyone want some free therapy? I do!**

Star read the letter several times before slightly glaring at his little sister. The yellow filly flinched under the gaze, as most sane beings did. The stallion sighed before putting the letter away.

"AppleBloom, while I understand this wasn't on purpose. I do need you to be more careful."

"B-but ah wus! Ah don't know why mah apple juice spilled, honest!" Star put a calming hoof on her shoulder.

"I know, but accidents happen. I'm just not happy about this bill." 38 bits, who pays this much for a book- wait, just remembered who the librarian is. He sighed. "You're not in trouble, just giving you a warning for future's sake, okay?" He smiled softly at his younger sister, who smiled back and hugged him.

"Thanks Star, ah will."

"Good, now run along." AB did as she was told, and went off to see her friend Sugar Twist. The ghost colt's Ghost Sense chose that moment to go off. "Oh great."

He quickly changed into Star Phantom, and flew off toward town. AB watched him fly overhead, and decided maybe now was not a good time to see Twist.

In town, a giant ghostly looking wasp was rampaging. It destroyed windows and terrorised many of the locals. It cornered the Flower Trio, who were on the verge of fainting, when Star plowed into it's side.

The two flew out into the open street of the market, where AJ and Big Mac were already getting ready for a fight. The bug gained some distance from Star and readied it's stinger. The half ghost got into a defensive stance, already preparing for what the bug would do next.

The ghost wasp charged, stinger first. The half ghost easily dodged the first few strikes, and narrowly avoided one that was aimed for the neck. After that, he knocked the wasp to ths ground with an ecto punch.

Star stood over the bug, assessing the damage as he prepared the thermos. "I would make an exterminator joke, but I already dealt with bugs worse than you, so…" The bug groaned before lifting its head.

"Well, I never was a good enough bug." It said, in a very noble stallion sounding voice. The bug suddenly morphed into a blob before taking another shape.

"How about a wolf instead?" The new ghost wolf lunged onto a surprised Star, and pinned him to the ground. Star struggled, but couldn't get free from the wolf's grasp.

"What's the matter, ghost colt? Can't hold your own against something better than a bug?" It mocked, laughing. "How pathetic." The word set off a trigger for Star, memories from his childhood came screaming back at him.

_Star was playing with one of his best friends at school, a geek named Poindexter. The two were playing on the swings when Poindexter was pushed off by a large pair of hooves. Star turned his head to see Dash Wing standing above them with a dark smile on his face. _

_"__Times up, losers. Me and my buddies are gonna play on the swings now." Dash's cronies, Lug Nut and Hard Ball, posed behind him, not really contributing much to anything going on. _

_Star rolled his eyes. "Leave us alone, Dash, ya already had your turn." He started to swing, but the bullying pegasus caught the chain of the seat. _

_"__So what, we want another one." Dash said, looking angry now. "We got cutie marks, so we get to do what we want." A small crowd of children started to gather around the swing set, but neither pony noticed. _

_Star sighed and got off the swing, while Dash let go. "Ha, pathetic little blank flank." The three bullies started laughing, not noticing Star grab hold of the swing. The little colt lifted the metal seat high, and threw it down. _

_In a flash, Dash Wing was on the ground, missing three teeth, and their teacher, Mr. Worded Lance, dragged Star into his office for punishment. _

"Don't. Call me. Pathetic!" He kicked the ghost wolf in the gut, sending it flying into a nearby cart. The impact completely annihilated the wooden cart, much to the anger of the pony who owned it.

Star fired more blasts at the wolf, who dodged them each time, and each blast either destroyed a cart or a section of a building. Finally having enough of the fight. AppleJack threw out her ghost lasso, catching the wolf. When the rope caught the ghost, she yanked back, stopping it in its tracks.

The wolf slammed onto its back, giving Star a chance to pin it. The wolf looked around at the damage and grinned. "Well, that's enough damage for one day." It said before melting into the ground, escaping the rope and Star.

The half ghost growled in annoyance, not noticing the crowd forming around him. When he did notice, he saw the angry expressions on their faces. He got up, yet shrunk under their glares.

Rainbow Dash flew forward. "Watch it, ghost punk!" Others joined in.

"Quit destroying our town!"

"Wasn't once enough?!"

"Get out of my way so I could catch him!" Twilight Sparkle could be seen coming through the crowd, a large butterfly net in her magical grasp. Star quickly took off, too fast for either Twilight or Rainbow to catch. AJ and Big Mac watched him go with deep frowns.

Star landed back in his room at the Acres. He transformed into Star Apple and sat down on his bed. He groaned before throwing his front hooves up. "Great job StarShine. Just had to let your anger get the better of you." He sighed and looked solemnly at the floor. "Some hero I am, destroying half the town in a fight with a wolf bug." He laid down, but didn't rest well that night.

The next day, most the buildings were almost fully repaired. The town was already used to their homes and businesses being destroyed by ghosts or some beast from the EverFree, so they got very good at rebuilding quickly. Mayor Mare was in her office, doing damage reports, when her secretary came in.

"Madam Mayor? The new town therapist has arrived."

"Very well, send her in." A few seconds later, a unicorn mare with bright orange fur, a dark red mane and tail, and shades, that hid her eyes very well, entered the office.

"Madam Mayor, an honor to meet you, truly." The energy the mare had was anything but infectious, it even seemed kind of draining.

"Yes, a pleasure, uh miss…"

"Dr. Personality Spectra. From Manehatten." Spectra finished. "I won't take up much of your time, must be busy with all those new constructions outside."

The Mayor frowned. "Actually, it's repairs. Our town was recently damaged in a spirit fight. Sadly, it's an almost daily occurrence, but yesterday was just too much."

Spectra innocently frowned. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I heard the rumors, but I didn't think they were real."

_Great, other towns know about our mess. This is embarrassing!_ Mayor Mare could feel herself becoming more depressed as the conversation continued. "Well, if you know about it, then that's one less thing to go over." She pulled a small key from her desk and presented it to Spectra. "Here is your home/office key. If you want a second one, visit the locksmith in the market area."

Spectra took the key and smiled. "Thank you, Miss Mayor. I'll just check out my office and get outta your mane." She got up, said goodbye, and left, leaving Mayor Mare feeling more tired and sad than ever before.

The rest of the week rolled by without incident, which the town was greatly thankful for. In the EverFree Forest, Star was hard at work perfecting his fighting techniques. He punched trees and fought groups of different wild animals that tried to attack him. With every missed punch and over shot kick, he grew more frustrated.

His frustration was let out on a poor tree near the edge of the forest. "Stupid wolf, bug, thing." *punch* "Thinks I'm pathetic." *punch* "I can fight wolves, bounty hunters, a freaking alicorn, and Luna knows what else." *slam* "But I can't beat a stupid, trash talking smart ass!" The last punch went right through the trunk of the tree, sending bits of wood flying out the other side. Star heard a near silent scream and turned to see Fluttershy standing there, mouth a gape. He immediately panicked and backed away.

The yellow filly looked like she wanted to say something, but the half ghost flew off before she even had the chance.

He didn't stop until he reached his house.

Inside, he could hear voices. It sounded like his two sisters, and they were having an argument.

"That's two times this week AppleBloom!" AJ yelled.

"But it ain't mah fault!" AB retorted. Star chose that moment to walk in, after changing back to Star Apple.

"Look, Bloom. Miss Cheerilee is demandin' that we send ya tah see Spectra. So just talk tah her and see how it goes." The little filly harrumphed before heading up to her room.

Star chose that moment to enter the room. "What's going on?"

AJ sighed before explaining. AppleBloom has been having trouble all week. Assignments were either missing or ruined, and something always seemed to be bothering the poor filly. So Miss Cheerilee decided to send her to see the new therapist in town.

Star frowned. That was not good news. "Have you tried talking to her?" AJ nodded. He sighed, then agreed to the idea. The half ghost went upstairs and went straight to bed. He was just too tired to do much else except think about how to beat that ghost.

_I can't let him get to me. I gotta keep my anger in check. I won't let words hurt me._ His eyes widened. _But maybe I can let them hurt him._

The next day went by without incident as Star waited for AppleBloom to come out. He looked around the room, noticing pictures of Spectra with different patients. Strangely, while Spectra looked cheerful and young in each picture, her patients seemed the complete opposite.

_What kind of therapist keeps the sad pictures in their lobby?_ He pushed that thought to the side when an older, butler looking stallion came in. His tan fur made his pasty, gray mane stand out, as well as the mustache of the same color.

Ship Shape was the name and being grumpy was his game. A slogan Star, himself, came up with. A slogan that needed to be branded and sold on shirts.

The half ghost's marketing plan was interrupted by a huge blast of cold air from the therapy room. Star looked to see his little sister leaving the office. The yellow filly slowly trotted over with her head nearly touching the ground, while the therapist waved her happily away.

"Bye bye, and remember: Ponies who know their place make it far in life!" With that strange advice given, she slammed her door shut while Ship Shape groaned and face hoofed. AppleBloom didn't seem to acknowledge anypony in the room, and instead chose to keep on trotting. Her brother quickly followed her and looked her over.

"So…" He asked, awkwardly. "How did it go?" His sister didn't answer right away, she barely even lifted her head.

After a minute of depressing silence, she spoke. "Star, why don't ah have a cutie mark?" The stallion raised an eyebrow, confused. But he answered anyway.

"Because you haven't found your talent yet, and that's nothing to be ashamed of." He sighed. "What did Spectra say to you?"

"That… that, fillies like me are gonna have a harder time in life cause we don't know what tah do in it." Tears started pooling in her eyes. "That we ain't worth helping unless we're willin' tah accept our place at the bottom." The pools overflowed and streamed down her cheeks.

Star immediately pulled the tortured filly into a comforting hug, not caring how moist his shoulder was getting. After a long hug, he looked her in the eye. "Can you go to the Corner by yourself?" He asked, ferocity in his eyes. AB nodded, and smiled, understanding what he had in mind.

"Give her a good talkin' to." Star grinned and headed back to office. Spectra broke a rule. Never, ever, mess with the Apple Family.

He got back to the office rather quickly, and in an instant, he noticed two things. Firstly, Ship Shape was nowhere to be seen. Which was strange since there should always be someone at the desk. Secondly, there was a glow coming from the therapy room. Several warning bells went off in Star's head. This was not good.

He transformed into Phantom and turned invisible before floating into the room. Inside, Spectra and Ship were talking.

"Everything is all set for the party." The old stallion said, a rather sadistic grin revealed several disappearing wrinkles on his face. Spectra herself was literally and metaphorically glowing.

"Excellent, once those cupcakes causes food poisoning, this backwater town will feel enough dread to keep us young forever!" The two did a small tango dance before Ship Shape transformed into a green wolf. He sniffed the air and growled.

Spectra immediately caught on. "Show yourself!"

An ecto blast came out of thin air and sent Ship Shape flying back. Star Phantom became visible, his eyes and hooves glowing with anger.

"So, a therapist who enjoys misery. Honestly, I'm more angry than surprised." He fired another blast, which Spectra dodged with ease, a big, sharp grin shined in the light.

"So you're the half freak they all speak of." She said matter of factly.

"Freak, huh? That the best insult ya got?" Star prepped another blast.

"Oh most definitely not, but I'd rather let Shift Shape deal with you."

"Shift Shape?" A giant, green vulture phased through the wall and grabbed the halfa by his shoulders.

"She means me, brat!" The voice of Ship Shape, now properly named Shift Shape, echoed. The two took off into the air, appearing high above the building.

"Now do me a favor, and just cool down!" Shift flew over toward the lake, before launching his catch at high speed. Star crashed right into the water, making a large splash.

Star charged back into the air, hoof slamming straight into the vulture's face. "Is a vulture all ya got?!"

Shift Shape growled. "How about we try something familiar." His form shifted into a giant wasp, the stinger growing sharp and large. "Careful, this might sting."

Star got into a defensive stance, complete with a "come at me, bro" hoof motion. The wasp obliged amd charged, stinger first. It was a move that the stallion saw coming a mile away, which made it all the more easier to dodge.

He turned, placing the thermos behind his back. "Come on, little bug!" He taunted. "Come at me!" The bug did so, right into the beam of the cylinder device.

"No. No! NO!" Echoed from the thermos before the lid was closed and sealed.

Star laughed. "There are times when it feels too easy."

"Easy enough when the ghost is weak." Spectra appeared from a small puff of smoke, her shades hiding her glaring eyes.

"Spectra. Just leave. Go back to the Realm." Star said, annoyed.

"And why would I?" She grinned.

"Cause you aren't worth a fight." The half ghost smiled back. He noticed her eyebrow twitch a bit. _Got her._

"Yeah, seriously. You talk about weak ghosts, and who would know better than you." Star's grin matched Spectra's earlier gaze. The half ghost prepared many more insults as he saw the therapist get more angry and annoyed.

"Silence that tongue, you little freak!"

"What's the matter, Spectra? I thought you had more insults. Come on, give me your A material." A few veins popped in her forehead. "So, no real creativity, huh? I guess that makes you pretty pathetic." Star started to laugh, a good, hearty, taunting laugh.

"Shut. Your. Mouth!" Spectra's body suddenly turned into a shadow and charged at the laughing stallion. She came at him so fast that he was caught off guard. The two flew further into the air before diving down, Spectra having a strong grip on the halfa.

Star growled as he struggled. "Let. Go. Of me."

"Why would I do that?" The shadow mare snarled. "Afraid you'll splat? I might be doing this town a favor."

She decided to push further when she saw a small shift on his face. "Oh yes. I'll make it easier for this whole town, your so-called friends, and the family that doesn't really love you." Star roared, and shot her point blank in the face with a powerful ecto blast.

"How many times do I have to say it? Leave my family alone!" He charged, ecto hooves powered up. Spectra was so stunned, she didn't notice him coming until his glowing hooves slammed into her full force. She crash landed onto the field, leaving a small crater in the ground. Star charged up a double hoofed blast, and fired.

The beam covered Spectra's whole body, the shadow disintegrating back into her pony disguise, which started to shrivel. When Star finally stopped, tired and out of breath, the therapist saw what was done to her. Her once beautiful body shriveled up into a wrinkly, old mare.

"No! I'm nothing without my-" The suction from the thermos got her attention, as she feebly tried to fight it.

"No!" With the old mare inside, Star took a moment to calm down. It didn't last when he remembered.

"The cupcakes!" He catapulted back toward town.

In SugarCube Corner, AppleBloom was helping Pinkie Pie prepare the cupcakes for serving. The treats were already cooked, but neither mare noticed the green substance mixed in with the frosting.

"All right AppleBloom. Let's give these out to the ponies outside." The filly nodded and was about to grab a platter full when Star Phantom burst in. Without a word, he fired several blasts at each platter. Pinkie and Bloom ducked behind the counter, cowering away from the ghost stallion.

_What's Star doing? What happened with Spectra? _

_That meanie pants in RUINING MY CUPCAKES! He shall pay! _

After a terrifying minute, Star left in satisfaction as every cupcake was now a smoldering brick. Once he was gone, AppleBloom and Pinkie looked at the devastation.

"Oh man! That mean ghost ruined my cupcakes! And I can't bake more cause we don't have any more batter! The pink mare rambled on as a sad song on a small violin started playing in the background, much to the confusion of the youngest Apple sibling in the room.

Outside, Star Phantom transformed into Star Apple, just as AppleJack arrived. "What happened? Ah heard blasts."

Star explained everything. Spectra, the fake therapy, and the cupcakes. When it was over, AppleJack sighed with a face hoof. "Ah can't have anythin' normal happen in town, can ah?"

"Eenope." Star mimicked his brother with a smile. "Now come on, we got Rich's daughter's party to enjoy. " The two went inside, where the party was going on, unhindered by what occured in the kitchen.

The party was anything but fun. Food was good, games were great, and DJ Pon3 doing the music made it all the better. There were just two problems. One was the Guest of Honor, Diamond Tiara. The little spoiled filly was once again teasing AppleBloom for not having a cutie mark. Although his sister looked more annoyed than hurt, Star was ready to give that brat a talking to when her mother intercepted him. She was the second problem.

"Well well well, Lame Apple. A droll to see you again." The mare remarked snidely.

"Spoiled Rich, and here I thought your daughter was the only one sucking the life out of this party." Star retorted with much more venom. The older earth pony recoiled in disgust.

"Ugh, just as disgusting as your Blank Flank sister." The half ghost got within inches of her face.

"How about you pluck up some courage and leave my family outta this." The two arguing ponies seemed ready to rumble when a new voice broke the moment.

"You gotta problem with Blank Flanks?!" All eyes turned toward a table, where two fillies, an orange pegasus and a white unicorn, crawled out from under.

"What?"

The orange pegasus spoke again. "I said, do you have a problem with Blank Flanks?!"

"Uh, and what if I do?" Diamond Tiara asked mockingly.

"Then that's your problem." The white unicorn.

"Why? She's the only one without a mark, she's nothing!"

Star watched the exchange with anger and anticipation while Spoiled Rich watched with pride for her teachings that she shared with her daughter.

"But she's not alone." The two new fillies turned to reveal their blank flanks.

"Y'all don't have your cutie marks either? Ah thought ah was the only one." AppleBloom said, her grin growing wider.

"Well, we thought we were the only two." The pegasus stated. Star chose that moment to enter in.

"And you three are very lucky." All eyes turned to him. "You still have a chance to discover who you really are, and that's an adventure I'd love to relive any day. Anypony who have the chance to learn who they are is somepony I'd be proud to be friends with." He winked at his little sister, who practically had stars in her eyes. When other fillies and colts started gathering around the three, he decided to step out, with a quick "See ya at home" to AppleBloom. Everypony ignored Diamond Tiara's whining for attention and Spoiled Rich's exasperated gasps of disgust.

As the party drew to a close, Star watched the three fillies, AppleBloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, form the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' and for a split second, the half ghost felt a chill go down his spine at the mention of the name. After a few seconds, he shrugged it off.

"I'm sure they'll do great." Little did he know just how much infamy would follow the creation of this new club.


	10. Chapter 10: Ecto Science!

Twilight was studying the Amulet very carefully, looking for anything of value. She carefully lifted it with her hoof, remembering how badly it reacted to her magic.

"Still no changes." She sighed. Several months of observing the piece of ghostly jewelry had led her to almost nowhere. She was able to get energy for her Anti-Spirit weapon, but that was it.

Doctor Hooves only made Spirit Capture technology, which she knew was stolen by Inviso-Bill. She needed to find a way to power her other anti-spirit projects: Ghost Shields, Ghost Detectors, and the hundreds of other blueprinted ideas she had on her work bench.

But she needed some real ectoplasm to make the weapon work. Her artificial stuff wasn't doing its job. "I can hurt Inviso-Bill, and some of the other ghosts. But it's not enough." Twilight slammed her hoof down in frustration. "I need to find ectoplasm to study and use. But where can I-" Then she got an idea. An ingenious idea. The unicorn got an ingenious, somewhat sinister, idea.

"I got it!" She yelled before grabbing several items from a box labeled Biological Research Equipment. From the box, Twilight grabbed a notepad, pen, binoculars, and a syringe.

"If I could get a ecto sample from Inviso-Bill. I could use it to create better ectoplasm and research what makes him tick!" A groan from upstairs made her quiet down.

It wasn't even morning yet, as evident by the lack of sun and a sleeping Spike the Dragon. Twilight quietly stepped out of her basement, locked the door, then headed out into the dusk Ponyville air.

**Star Phantom in: **

**Ecto Science!**

**Let's learn some stuff!**

The purple unicorn teleported to the edge of Sweet Apple Acres, remembering the information AppleJack gave her during the whole Gala Ticket Dragon incident. She set herself up inside a large bush, and waited. The sun started to rise, and soon the farm awoke to the sound of the Apple Family.

Twilight saw the familiar orange fur of AppleJack as she trotted next to her white furred, black maned brother, Star Apple. The unicorn didn't really know Star that well. He always seemed to be busy or spending time with family, which didn't seem all that strange. From what AJ told her, Star was a stallion that cared deeply for his family, and would do anything for them.

She watched the two interact, somewhat questioning how they were twins. For one thing, they didn't even remotely share the same colors. Most twins had similar colored fur or manes. But not these two. Was it something in the genetics? A magical mishap? Or was Star just that rarity? That 1% that did not resemble their twin. They certainly didn't share the same personality. If anything, they were opposite. AppleJack would sometimes be headstrong, and a bit too honest for her own good. Star, on the other hoof, seemed cooperative, accepting, and even a bit introverted.

M_aybe I could talk to him later, ask him some things._ She stopped when she noticed Star gasp. _What's happening? _The two ran into the barn, slamming the big door closed. _Is there a problem in the barn?_ A loud explosion turned her attention to Ponyville, where a large cloud of smoke rose above the village.

_Sweet Celestia!_ A second later, a black and white figured rocketed past her. It didn't take long for her to figure out who it was.

_Inviso-Bill! I've got to follow him!_ She instantly broke off into a gallop, hoping to stay close behind the normally elusive spirit.

Her hopes were futile as the phantom accelerated, disappearing in the blink of an eye. But the unicorn was not deterred. She knew where the spirit was going. Whenever another ghost would attack, he seemed ready to fight.

Some of the townsponies believed this meant that Inviso-Bill was a hero. Twilight and many other scientists knew better. Inviso-Bill fights other ghosts for two reasons.

Reason 1: He fights for the thrill of the it. It's obvious through his excitement during battles, and the joking attitude he has.

Reason 2: Ghosts are territorial about their haunts. This is the perfect example. Other ghosts are trespassing on his haunting ground, which is the entire town, especially Sweet Apple Acres, where the spirit is often seen disappearing and reappearing.

Twilight made a mental note to talk to Granny Smith about it as soon as possible if her research got her nowhere. Then again, she could always notify Star. Or Big Mac. It was obvious that AJ knew about Inviso-Bill and made every attempt to hide him from the town.

She just couldn't understand why the orange mare supported that menace so much. It seemed too illogical. Unless the spirit made a deal with her. Maybe he leaves Sweet Apple Acres alone if AppleJack helps him. It was a theory, which she'll have to confirm if… WHEN she captures the ghost.

Twilight's brain slammed hard on the brakes as Inviso-Bill crashed into the pile of soap boxes nearby. In her shock, she stared at the ghostly earth pony, taking notice of the details. His pure white mane and tail, midnight black coat, the shield with a ghost surrounding it, and the slight gloa that surrounded his body.

The stallion quickly shook away the dizziness and concussion before catapulting toward the ghostly octopus rampaging in the skies above.

Twilight took cover in a nearby alleyway and readied her notepad. As the fight dragged on, she took note of Inviso-Bill's fighting style, remembering her BBBFF's training in the Guard.  
The phantom stallion seemed defensive and reactive more than the offensive fighting most spirits did. He used his smaller size and superior speed to easily dodge most of the attacks. But he was sloppy, untrained. It's as if he was thrust into this battle, completely unprepared.

This means that he could be a young spirit, one who hasn't unlocked his full abilities, and the idea that this stallion. One who fought dragons, metal griffons, dozens of other ghosts, and destroyed the town in a blind rage, getting more powerful made the purple unicorn turn pale.

Her natural colors returned when Inviso-Bill was caught by a tentacle, which was followed by an electric shock. The highly pained scream that resounded from the stallion indicated that he was weak against electrical attacks.

Good, a source of power for her weapons. But most ghosts are not weak to electricity. She needed a universal weakness. One that was easy to make ammunition from quickly.

The screaming ended when the ghost octopus ended it's attack. The reason being that it was paying more attention to the glowing rope surrounding its waist. Holding the rope in her teeth, was the Mare of the Apple Family herself, AppleJack.

The orange mare gave a mighty tug, dragging the octopus into the dirt. Inviso-Bill phased out of his trap right before the mare yanked away his captor, and pulled out the thermos. The octopus was quickly sucked up, and in a flash, the Ghost Stallion of Ponyville took off toward the EverFree Forest.

Twilight charged after the ghost colt, making a mental note to talk to AppleJack later.

It was hard to keep up to the ghost in the forest. While he could just faze through the thick bushes and trees, Twilight had to maneuver around them. After a few minutes, she lost him completely.

"Shoot. Almost had him." She muttered before deciding to head back into town. The unicorn never noticed the shadow zoom past her toward a familiar castle.

Star sighed as he landed in the courtyard of the former Castle of the Two Sisters. He looked around at the damage, knowing just how the Castle got into its current state.

"Remind me to never piss off that mare." He muttered to himself before flying inside. If he remembered what Luna said correctly, the library was on the second floor, which should be undamaged.

The half ghost glided through the empty halls, nearly getting lost in the maze of passageways and hidden doors. After nearly an hour of searching, the sight of books and shelves revealed the room's location.

Star gaped at the hundreds, if not thousands, of books stacked high on the ancient shelves.

"Guess I'll have to do it one row at a time." He landed softly on the ground and walked inside.

Twilight finally made it back to Ponyville, where life seemed to go on as normal. There was very little damage done to the town, so repairs weren't a major concern for the townsfolk.

But the state of the town was at the back of Twilight's mind at the moment. She only had one thought driving her.

And the target of her thoughts was currently at her cart in the market area.

AppleJack put the bits from her latest sell into the small chest behind the cart when Twilight marched right up to the stand.

"Oh howdy Twilight, what can ah do ya for?"

"You can answer my questions." The unicorn said. AJ recoiled from the bluntness of the statement, then raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"What kinda questions?"

"Firstly, how long have you been helping Inviso-Bill?"

Sadly, AJ wasn't as caught off guard as she ought to have been. This wasn't the first time Twilight confronted her about it. She made her support of the half ghost known, and thankfully, most of the town is starting to respect and follow her decision. Twilight, however, treats it like a crime.

No doubt because Celestia declared her brother a menace, along with all the other spirits. AJ may respect Twilight, but the unicorn holds the Princess in a little too high a regard.

"Ah don't see why ah shouldn't. He defends the town, and sometimes he needs help. Is that so bad?"

"AppleJack. He's not 'defending the town,' he's defending his territory. What happens when the spirits finally stop coming. He might turn on the town. He already did once."

"That was from Trixie's Crystal Ball. Don't blame him for that faker's actions!"

"Was it from lack of control, or instinct on overdrive?"

Now AJ was getting angry. "Ah ain't havin' this conversation no more. Ah have apples to sell."

"We're not done talking. Not until I know your relationship with Inviso-Bill."

"Relationship? What're you on about?"

"AJ." Twilight said slowly. "He stays at your farm. He always seems to be near you. You help him. If I didn't know better, I'd say your in love with him."

_***AppleJack_ has stopped working. Too many things wrong with the previous statement.* **_

After the world's longest amount of silence. AJ finally blinked back to reality. "Leave."

"W-wha-"

"Leave! Get the buck away from mah stall and stay away from mah Farm!" The entire market turned its attention to the confrontation, intrigued by what made Ponyville's resident Apple Farmer explode.

The angry mare shoved away the frightened unicorn. "Don't ever make such a disgusting suggestion tah me again! Don't ask me 'bout the Ghost Colt no more, and don't ever come near mah family with those ideas in your head! Ever!"

Twilight nodded fearfully, and booked it back to her library. AJ gagged and sighed before heading back to lock up the cart. She figured it would be good to go home and drink away the thoughts put in her head.

Twilight quickly galloped toward her home, hoping to avoid the crowd of ponies that gathered during the commotion. When she reached her door, she whacked her head against it several times.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why did I say that? I should know better than to make accusations like that!"

Am I becoming too obsessed? Am I willing to throw my friends into the mud to get my answers?

"I think I'll just go to bed early and apologize to AJ tomorrow." Twilight said before opening her door.

When she walked inside, she accidently kicked something. It was a box. Twilight read the seal on the top. All there was was a name.

_You aren't that far from the truth. Here is some equipment to help capture, contain, and study Inviso-Bill. Use it wisely. _

_Blau Sango. _


	11. Chapter 11: A Colt His Dog and a Hunter

Star Apple checked another book, but once he saw the cover, he sighed and placed it back in its spot.

"A whole week of looking, and nothing to show for it. Maybe I should call it an early day." A chill crawled up his spine and escaped his lips. "Or maybe not."

In a flash, Star Apple was replaced by Star Phantom. The half ghost charged outside, scanning the surrounding trees. The first thought that came into his head was Timberwolves. But a loud yelp quickly changed that.

He looked down to see a small, green puppy. The little pup's tongue hung from its mouth as it joyfully wagged its tail. Star couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, this I can handle."

As he kneeled down to grab the dog, it suddenly started growling. At first, it sounded cute, but that changed as it got suddenly grew bigger. In less than five seconds, the pup grew into a giant, growling monster of a dog.

"I really need to stop jinxing myself."

_**Star Phantom in: **_

_**A Colt, His Dog, and a Hunter**_

_**Who let the dog out?! **_

"Alright, what have we learned?" Rainbow Dash asked as she fluttered past Fluttershy.

"Lots of control."

"Yes, and?"

"Screaming and hollering."

"And most importantly?"

"Passion."

"Excellent." The rainbow maned pegasus landed with a cocky grin on her face. "Now that you know the elements of a good cheer, let's hear one!"

Fluttershy took a deep breath.

"Yay."

Rainbow Dash groaned and face hoofed.

"You call that a cheer? Louder."

"Yay."

"Louder."

"Yay."

"Louder!"

The shy pegasus inhaled a large amount of air.

"Yaaaay."

Rainbow fainted from the "loud" cheer that Fluttershy gave.

"Too loud?"

Rainbow just got up and nodded before taking off into the air. Once she reached a high enough level, she landed on a nearby cloud.

"Yay." Was the signal for the rainbow pegasus to go. She launched from the cloud like from a diving board.

In the blink of an eye, she pulled up from a nose dive, darting past the quietly cheering Fluttershy.

"Now, Phase One of my routine." Phase 1 involved her pivoting between a long row of trees before charging toward a clump of clouds.

"Phase Two." Phase 2 required speed and control as Rainbow quickly circled three of the clouds, spinning them like tops.

"Here we go, Phase Three. The Sonic Rainboom." The pegasus flapped her wings hard as she quickly gained altitude. In an instant, she turned around and dove toward the ground. As she gained speed, a mach cone formed around her.

"Almost… got it." A loud barking was all it took to disrupt her focus. Her body started to falter. Thankfully, Rainbow knew how to recover from a falter, even at high speeds.

What she didn't know was how to recover from a giant green dog ramming into her like a train. As she spun out of control, she could make out a black and white figure holding onto the dog's leash for dear life.

"Hold on, boy! Heel!" In a flash, the dog and figure were gone, while Rainbow flew out of control toward Ponyville.

* * *

The dog carried Star all the way to Canterlot, where it landed in the middle of the busy Fashion District. Ponies immediately started panicking as the ghost rampaged through the street.

"No! Bad Boy! Heel Boy! Stop!" Star shouted out every command he could think of, but the dog refused to listen. So he decided to make them both intangible to stop breaking every item in the stores they went through.

"Wait! Let me go!" For once, the dog complied, dropping the halfa as it kept going down the street. Star rolled several feet before skidding to a stop in the stone road.

He quickly shook away the stars that circled his head, then gagged. "Ew, just what I need, ghost slop." He phased the saliva off of him before flying after the dog.

It wasn't hard to catch up, since the dog seemed to avoid taking the quick route in favor of crashing through stores and other objects. "Where is this dog heading?"

At the Canterlot Magic Labs, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were doing a routine visit to the facility. As the manager, a unicorn named Dr. Bore Ring, explained everything going on in the facility, Luna yawned.

She didn't want to come, but Tia suggested that she should get out more, see how far magic has come in the thousand years she has been gone. She never could understand how her sister could keep that smile on her with how monotone the manager was.

"And thanks to the increase is our budget, we were able to afford better security. Which is a relief, since we could finally get rid of all those guard dogs."

At the moment, the room turned red as a loud alarm went off across the lab. Guards readied their weapons as the Princesses took defensive poses, their magic charged up. The manager decided to do the smart thing and hide under a table.

Celestia asked the important question. "Who could break into the Magic Lab Facility?"

The answer was a ghost colt and his dog. The ghost dog blew through the sealed doors of the lab, growling at the guards that stood in his way. Star Phantom appeared behind him.

"The Magic Labs, why'd you come here boy?" An ecto blast changed his priorities. The halfa dodged several more blasts from the unicorn guards, and one massive blast from Celestia. The dog simply barged through them before charging down the hallway. The Guards were scattered all over the floor, while Celestia landed in a pile of old dog stuff.

"Oh come on!" Star immediately gave chase, followed by the remaining facility guards.

As the dog continued to run down the hall, Star ran several ideas through his head. He thought about all the times he had to calm Winona down over the years. Brain Blast!

Hr flew up next to the dog's head, and gave him a scratch behind the old ears. The beast slowed to a stop, its tongue hanging from its mouth while its tail wagged.

"Good boy. See, calm is good. Calm gets you scratchies, oh yes it does." The half ghost started talking playfully as the giant dog shrunk back to a tiny puppy. He quickly pulled out the thermos and sucked in the dog before leaving the destroyed facility.

Back in the other room, Celestia was fuming while Luna cringed.

"Oh this is wonderful! Now I have to increase security in the city, especially the Labs. Maybe even the schools. All Magic based areas!"

"Tia."

"Definitely giving the GIW more funding, I need agents to guard these facilities, on the double."

"Tia!"

"What Luna?!"

"Maybe that's a bit too much."

Celestia scoffed. "When it comes to spirits, it's never enough. Especially Inviso-Bill."

Luna frowned. "He's not as bad as you think, Sister."

"He's destroyed Ponyville several times, putting my student in peril, and now he's here destroying the Labs. I understand you think he's good because he fought off Nightmare Moon. But that was simply a case of a ghost defending its territory." Celestia explained before heading over to talk to the Head of Security. Luna growled in frustration before teleporting away to her room. She needed to talk to Star as soon as possible.

It was later that day when Star came home to Ponyville. He dumped the dog back into the Spirit Realm and was looking forward to some sleep. As he walked back through town in Apple form, he saw his sister, AppleJack, and her friends boarding a hot air balloon.

"Hey, AJ!" The orange mare turned to face him, a smile on her face.

"Howdy, Star, what's up?"

"I could ask you the same thing." He motioned to the balloon behind him, barely noticing that Rarity was hovering slightly above the basket.

"Rainbow's enterin' a flyer's competition. So me and the girls are gonna go cheer her on."

"Where, in Cloudsdale?" Star asked, remembering that Earth Ponies can't stand on clouds.

"Eeyup, Twilight put a cloud walking spell on us, so we could go."

"Alright, tell Rainbow I said good luck." AJ nodded before jumping into the balloon. As the balloon started to take off, Spike came running over, a scroll in his claw.

"Twilight! Wait! From Princess Celestia!" The unicorn quickly took the scroll with her magic and read it over. Star already walked away, never hearing the gasps that came from the balloon.

Some time passed as Star sat down next to one of the many trees in the orchard. He sighed as, for the first time all week, he was able to relax.

*Yip yip!*

"Winona, not now." Star turned to see the ghost dog, thankfully in puppy form, running down the field. He quickly got up and transformed into Phantom.

"Alright, let's try this again." He extended forward. "Stop!" This time, the dog complied, skidding stop a stop right at his hooves. This actually surprised Star.

"Ugh, sit." The dog did as it was told. "Roll over." It rolled around twice before sitting. "Huh, so you are trained. Who are you?" Star kneeled down to look at the collar.

"Cujo. What's that symbol?" Cujo suddenly got a whiff of a something, as he started sniffing around. He barked excitedly before darting off into the sky.

"Wait, come back!" Star immediately gave chase. Following Cujo as he flew toward Cloudsdale.

Celestia sat down on her special cloud seat at the Cloud Arena. She was doing her best to put this morning's attack at the back of her mind. GIW agents were placed at the Lab, keeping it well protected. Two agents, in their classic white suits and shades, took positions next to her regular guards, per her request. Now all she wanted to do was enjoy the talents of her many pegasi subjects.

Most were average or slightly above it. Almost all of the competitors did flips or fly through hoops. The final two however, were very different. Celestia blinked as she watched Rarity, a unicorn if her student's letters were to be believed, flying around with butterfly wings.

Last she checked. Unicorns were not allowed to do these types of competitions because their magic gave them an unfair advantage. If it wasn't for the fact that Rainbow Dash, another friend of her student, was messing up so badly, she would have declared a folly.

That would have to wait, as one of the GIW's ecto-trackers went off. The agents and guards readied their weapons as Celestia readied her magic.

"M, what's the signature?" A white unicorn GIW agent asked. M, the brown earth pony GIW agent, checked the tracker. He growled as the result was shown.

"Two entities, A. A combined signature strength of 6." A gritted his teeth, and increased the power of his ecto-blaster. He then turned to one of the Solar Guards. "Evacuate the area, now!"

The guard saluted before heading to the announcement box.

M spoke up. "Your Highness, it's not safe here, you need to vacate as well."

"I will stay to defend my little ponies, thank you Agent M."

In the arena, Rarity rose into the sky to perform her grand finale. When she reached a high enough point, she opened her wings to let the sun shine through the thin veil of colors.

"Behold, Equestria! I. Am. Rarity!" The crowd stared in awe as the array of colors shined on the stadium. The beautiful moment was interrupted by a loud bark.

Everypony turned their head to see a small green puppy flying into the stadium, colliding with Rarity's wings. The force ripped them from her bag, making her scream in pain before she started plummeting toward the ground.

"Rarity!" Rainbow Dash dove down to catch her friend. She quickly caught the unicorn, carrying her back toward the stands, where Twilight and the others were waiting.

Twilight immediately grabbed Rarity in her magic, and checked her back. Thankfully, there was no injury that she could see. Turns out the wings might have just been attached by magic, and no real physical connection.

The purple unicorn looked up from her friend to see the ghost dog barreling toward the Princess, and not behind it was none other than Inviso-Bill himself. Rainbow followed her gaze before the two looked at each other and nodded.

Twilight handed Rainbow a small saddlebag, then the pegasus took off toward the locker rooms. AJ watched them in suspicion, while Pinkie and Fluttershy continued to check on Rarity.

* * *

Star grabbed the small puppy, who relaxed when he started getting scratched behind the ear. "See, like before. Calmness gets you scratches. Now who's a good boy?"

Cujo never had a chance to answer before a loud bang rang out. Star looked to his right, and to his horror, saw a large missile heading right for him. He quickly dodged out of the way, the missile missing the target and slamming into a cloud pillar.

"What was that?!"

A loud whirring quickly answered his question. Slightly above him was a pony in a light blue full bodysuit. A large black visor obscured the pony's face. The pony stood on top of a sleek hoverboard, missiles attached to the side acted as boosters. In the pony's hoof was a massive blaster rifle.

"That, was only a taste, ghost punk!" The pony's raspy voice stated before aiming her blaster at the halfa and his dog. Star threw Cujo out of the way as the pony fired. The shot landed dead center on his chest. The force of impact sent him flying into another cloud pillar.

"Ow! Give a stallion a warning before shooting him!"

"Fine, heads up!" The pony threw three razor discs toward Star. However, her aim wasn't exactly the best, as the discs hit anything but their target.

Star laughed at the embarrassing moment. "Wow, what's the matter? First day with the new tech?" A razor bounced off one of the few non cloud items in the stadium, and sliced a bit of Star's foreleg. He grabbed it in pain.

"Ow, that hurt!" Realization suddenly dawned. "Wait a minute. That Hurt!"

"Oh, don't worry Ghost Colt, it won't hurt long." The Huntress aimed her blaster. "'Cause you are going down!" Star shut his eyes in anticipation, but opened them when a loud bark echoed in the arena.

Cujo, now huge, grabbed the Huntress with his mouth. He dragged the pony down toward the stands. Star was about to go help, when another ecto blast skimmed by his head. Agents M and A were now firing their blasters from the higher stands near the Princess. He dodged the shots with ease, apparently the Elite Ghost Hunting Unit of the Guard couldn't hit the broadside of a castle.

He decided to tempt fate and laugh. "Seriously? Work on your aim!" Fate decided not to spare him, as yellow magic suddenly wrapped around his body.

"I need to learn to keep my mouth shut." He concluded with a sigh. The halfa was suddenly dragged toward Celestia, her glare nearly burning Star to a crisp.

"The infamous Inviso-Bill, about time we've met." The Solar Princess said with the slightest touch of venom.

"Um, hi?"

"You dare attack my subjects, destroy the labs, unleash your hound upon us, and have the gall to speak to me so casually?!" Star's ears were ringing as the Royal Canterlot Voice was used.

"Hey, lady. Maybe you should turn it down a notch!" Normally, Star would be a bit more respectful with a princess, but with the day he's had, all bets were off.

"You insolent spirit! I should rip you apart, molecule by molecule!" Star, in a fit of sudden panic, fired an ecto blast right into Celestia's chest. It was a weak blast, but enough to send the regal princess to the ground.

In that moment, the magic dissipated, and Star took the opportunity to make sure Celestia was okay. He checked her over for any burns, bruises, and other such injuries. As he went to lift her head to keep it level, a small squeak sounded from her mane. Star raised an eyebrow to check inside the flowing mane, and to his surprise, he found a dog's chew toy.

Star instantly connected the dots, and smiled slightly. The ecto blasts and shots of purple magic made him jump into the air. The GIW, Twilight, and Sor Guards all came rushing toward him. Their weapons drawn and magic ready.

He quickly took off toward the other side of the stadium, where Cujo and the Huntress were still fighting. That is, if you could call shrinking into a corner as a giant guard dog was growling at you a fight. The Huntress screamed as Cujo leaned in closer.

A shrill whistle caught their attention. Star floated toward them, the chew toy squeaking softly. "Hey boy, is this what you were after?" Cujo immediately recognized the toy, and started yipping in joy. The dog quickly shrunk into a puppy and wagged his tail as Star continued to squeak the toy.

"Is this it, do you want your squeaky, or does you?" The halfa said in a babying tone. "Go fetch, boy!" He threw the toy into the air, where Cujo jumped after it. Once he caught it, the ghost dog vanished into thin air.

Star wiped his hooves in quick celebration, before remembering what just occurred less than two minutes ago. "Oh right, should probably get outta here." He sped off into the sky, leaving the arena devastated, and his reputation further ripped to shreds.

Later that night, Star sat in silence on his bed. A quiet knock came from the door. "Star, can we talk?" The stallion answered the door, letting AppleJack into the room. The two sat down on the bed, returning to the silence. AJ sighe before speaking.

"Look, Star. What happened today wasn't yur fault. Just… bad luck."

"Bad luck?! AJ, I attacked a Princess! Now not just any princess, I attacked Princess CELESTIA! I'm now officially the Most Wanted Ghost in all of Equestria! If that's bad luck, then remind me never to gamble, ever!"

"Star-"

"And what's worse? When Luna finds out I attacked her sister, she'll destroy me. She might just tell Celestia the truth, send her Lunar Guard and the GIW after me. But not before trapping me in a realm of my own nightmares!" Star kicked over his nightstand, sending his picture of the family crashing to the ground. Both stared at the picture before Star groaned.

"Great, another mess from me."

AJ put comforting hooves around her twin. "At least we can fix this in a jiffy. Ah'll get the broom, and a fresh frame to put the photo in." The orange mare trotted out and returned quickly with the broom. As she swept, Star asked the important question.

"Who was that mare?"

"That Huntress?" AJ thought about her before making a startling conclusion. "Ah think she might be Rainbow Dash."

Star blinked. "Oh."

"Oh? Ah was expecting something better than oh."

"Honestly, I'm not surprised." This did seem like something Rainbow Dash would do. There was only one question left to answer. "But where did she get the gear?"

"Ah saw Twilight give her a saddlebag. Could that be it?"

Star shook his head. "Twilight may be smart, but I doubt she was able to make that kind of tech in a week. We've seen the gear she uses, it's crude and barely held together. That stuff was like factory made."

"Which means it's somepony with access to a factory tah make it!" The idea that somepony with the ability to make new deadly weapons was targeting Star definitely put the two on edge for the rest of the night.

In his private estate, BlueBlood floated in front of a massive computer monitor. On the screen was a large loading bar. The halfa grinned as the bar reached 100%.

_"__File Apple 1-A is ready for analysis, my Beautiful Stallion."_ The holographic image of a unicorn mare with a light blue fur and black mane fizzled into existence.

"Thank you, my Sweet Galatea. Hopefully, this file, and the many more to come will give me the answers I need." The file opened up, giving BlueBlood a chance to laugh loudly in victory.

**Author's Note: **

**The Huntress is on the prowl. Star beat the crap out of Celestia, helped Cujo, and is now the most wanted ghost in Equestria. Must be Tuesday.**

**But what could BlueBlood be planning? What? What?! WHAT?!**


	12. Chapter 12: The Talk

Luna sat down next to her sister, taking a small sip of tea. She was trying to ignore the scorched fur that blackened Celestia's chest.

"So… how was Day Court?"

Celestia looked at her younger sister with slight irritation.

"Oh, the usual for this week. Ponies looking at my chest in horror. Some begging me to explain why I've been injured."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "To be fair, I'd blast you too if you said to me, 'I'll tear you apart molecule by molecule.'" She said, impersonating her sister for the quote.

Celestia sighed. "I know, the anger of that day just piled up, and when the root of most of it was floating in front of me, I just broke."

"But molecule by molecule? Where did you get such vocabulary?"

"I had to spend several hours with the GIW going over defense plans." Celestia deadpanned. "They said that phrase enough times to make it easy to roll off the tongue."

The blue alicorn nodded, understanding just how violent the GIW were with their descriptions.

"But they get the job done. There's been a steady decrease in spirit activity across the country. So I'm willing to accept their behavior… for the time being."

The two went back to drinking their tea in silence, with Luna having one resolve in mind.

_Tonight, I need to get in contact with Star._

****Star Phantom in:****

****The Talk****

**When a Halfa and an Alicorn love each other very much…**

Luna floated around in the Dreamscape. Hundreds of doors and windows appeared around her, each one leading to a different dream. She was looking for one door in particular.

It wasn't hard to find, only one door has two designs on it. On one side, it was mostly white with black stars and a moon. On the other, it was mostly black with white stars, and a moon. In the middle was a star split down the middle between the two colors. Curving around the star was a small, blue ghost.

StarShine Apple/ StarShine Phantom's dream. Luna reached for the door, but recoiled in shock when something slammed against the door from the other side. As that something repeatedly slammed against the door, the Princess of Dreams took notice of something. The door was sealed, the entire frame was encased in stone.

The alicorn stared at the door for a few seconds before uttering the one word that came to mind.

"Dammit. Now I have to get my tools."

Inside the dream, Star kept banging on the stone sealed door.

"Stupid." *****Bang***** "Cock-a-trice!" *****Bang***** "Why didn't." *****Bang***** "I see it."*****Bang***** "Coming?!"

When the next slam didn't work, the halfa slouched down to the ground. "Oh great. Just great!"

"I almost wish Luna was here."

A loud thud got his attention, standing in a small impact crater was none other than the alicorn of the hour.

"Luna!" Star immediately got up and ran toward her. "I'm so happy to see-" A wall of blue magic erected itself between the two. The halfa recoiled in shock. "L-Luna?"

The dark blue alicorn suddenly glared at him, her eyes glowing white. "You! You dare attack MY SISTER! I allowed you near my subjects because I trusted you, but that trust is gone! Farewell, Star Phantom!" Her horn lit up with magic, and she fired. Star barely managed to dodge the shot, which left a huge scorch mark on the ground.

"W-wait! I can explain!"

"Thou had all week to explain!" Luna fired another blast, the shot slamming into his shoulder. Star twirled around before hitting the ground. In an instant, an army of GIW agents surrounded him.

"Freeze Phantom!" Star attempts to get back up, but Luna's magic holds him down.

"P-please, I didn't mean to-"

"Silence, freak!" Agent M shouts, his weapon whining for a shot. The halfa closes his eyes, preparing to let the agents finish what the book started.

*****Wham!***** All eyes turn toward the door, a small crack forming around the stoned door.

*****Wham!***** Almost all agents aim their blasters at the door. Luna summons a scythe.

*****Boom!***** The door is blown to bits, revealing the real Princess Luna holding a giant white battering ram. She looked at the bewildered Star before smiling.

"I respected your privacy by knocking, but then I realized you needed me to assert my authority by coming in anyway." She then saw the army of GIW led by a false Luna.

"Okay, not what I expected." Star took the opportunity to escape, blasting away several agents. Luna followed suite, using the battering ram to force her way through to army of agents. The fake Luna fired a spell, which was dodged by Star. In return, he fired an ecto-blast, landing the shot right in her face.

With the shot, the fake Luna disappeared, her body fading into mist. Silence reigned over the dream, neither halfa or alicorn spoke. Instead, they stood still, waiting to see who would do something first.

Luna sighed, and took a deep breath. That breath was quickly forced out her lungs when Star crushed her in a back breaking hug.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyoutankyou! I'm so sorry I didn't talk to you sooner, it's just-"

"Star… end hug first, talk… second."

The halfa blinked, blushed, and released her while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Now… we need to talk." Star gulped, then nodded.

The two were sitting in a small circle of grass, letting a small awkward silence stay between them. Star decided to break that silence.

"So… about your sister. Is she…?"

"Alright? Yes, it was only a minor burn thankfully. Although, I'm sure you held back a bit."

"Yeah, I was panicking. Hearing a Princess of Equestria say 'I'll tear you molecule by molecule' tans to freak you out." Star blinked, then raised an eyebrow.

"Where did she get that vocabulary anyway?"

Luna giggled. "I asked the exact same thing. Spending time with the GIW certainly helps one learn."

"Heh, true. Is the lab fixed up?"

Luna nodded. "Only minor damage was sustained, pretty easy to fix with magic." A small smile grew on her face. "Though I have to ask, what was that dog?"

"Oh yeah, Cujo. I think he was one of the guard dogs that the lab used to own. But when they got that new security system, the dogs were… put down." Star looked down in sadness, which Luna copied.

"Yeah, turns out he came back to get his chew toy. I found it at the Coliseum." Star tried to hold back a laugh. "In Celestia's mane."

Luna did not hold back her laugh, it boomed across the dreamscape. "I can't believe it! So that's why you were there!" Star joined in, feeling a huge pressure fly off his chest, his laugh died as a sad smile came to view.

"I'm sorry… about not speaking to you, I was just… scared."

Luna stopped laughing, instead she patted the halfa on the back, offering her sympathies. "I can understand why, but know this. I will never treat you like that other hag you dreamed up." Her sly grin brought Star's hope up.

"I don't know." he said, his own grin facing her. "I think my dream did a good impersonation."

The two laughed, but quickly stopped when the dream began to collapse around them.

"Good, you're waking up." Luna flapped her wings and took off toward the door. "Remember, you can always speak to me, about anything," With that, the lunar princess disappeared in a bright flash.

Star smiled before the dream ended and reality set in.

The halfa woke with a start, in Phantom form. Not far away was the cockatrice. It's glaring red eyes focused on another. Star's eyes widened when he saw his little sister, AppleBloom, and her friends hiding behind a glaring Fluttershy. Her body was almost completely encased in stone. His eyes flared a toxic green glow.

"Hey! Get away from them!" Everypony looked over in surprise, not expecting Star Phantom to be standing right there. He fired a green blast at the cockatrice, sending the creature flying into the woods.

Star stopped in front the group of ponies, only the older pegasus was shaking in fear.

_She can glare down a cockatrice, but she'll shake in fear of me._ If it were any other day, Star would have been hurt by that. But not tonight.

"Get outta here, I'll hold it off, go!" The three girls nodded before heading back down the small road, dragging a petrified Fluttershy with them. With the girls safe, Star took off into the woods, ready for round 2 with the beast.

**Author's Note: **

**Another short, but sweet chapter complete. **

**(And here, more fuel for the Shipping Fire. Burn! Burn Brightly! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**


	13. Chapter 13: 13

The Spirit Realm, home to millions of spirits from all of time and space. The Green Spiral that formed the sky that surrounded the many floating islands and doors glowed a dark green. Sailing across the sky, on a magic powered bike, were two ponies, a mare and stallion, dressed in punk clothing. Behind them was an army of police spirits led by Walker.

"You ain't gettin' away from me, punks!"

"In your dreams old stallion!" The mare shouted, earning a glare from the ghostly warden. "Step on it Lucky!" The stallion driving the bike, now known as Lucky, used some more magic to power the bike. The large number 13 on the side glowed brightly as the bike sped up.

Ahead of the group, the huge Spirit Portal was starting to close. Lucky's eyes narrowed, an idea forming in his head. Kitty caught on. "Lucky, no. Don't use it!"

"We won't make it if I don't!"

"We'll make it!" Kitty tried to argue as Lucky lifted up his hoof, a gold and green bracelet was wrapped around it.

"I ain't taking that chance, Kitty." The bracelet lit green, and a sense of dread filled the two riders. A shadow launched from Lucky, gunning it for the portal. The shadow latched itself onto the edges of the portal, trying to keep it open.

The couple were halfway through the portal when the shadow let go. Lucky made it through, but Kitty was not so fortunate. The portal closed around her, forcing her to fall off the bike. Lucky quickly stopped and turned to face her.

"Kitty!" The mare's spectral form started to blur and fizzle, her face quenching in pain. "I'm so sorry!"

"L… Lucky, please." Kitty turned to see the guards coming closer. "I'll… be okay. Just, please… don't forget me." Her form disappeared back into the realm, becoming one with the green sky.

"Kitty, no!" Lucky collapsed to the ground, tears forming in his eyes. The portal fully closed, leaving the poor stallion alone with his shadow. Something soft landed around his neck. He removed it, and when he looked, there was Kitty's scarf. "Kitty." A determined look crossed his face as he clenched the scarf in his hooves. "I'll get you back. I promise."

****Star Phantom in:****

****13****

**Feeling Lucky, Punk?**

The City of Manehatten. One of the largest cities in Equestria. The streets were jam packed with ponies and carts going to and fro as pegasi filled the skies. One of the ponies on the ground was none other than StarShine Apple. Star looked in wonder at the sprawling metropolis before him. Skyscrapers that reached the clear blue above him, market carts on every corner, concrete streets, even the angry taxi cart pullers were a bit cool.

Star blinked away his amazement, remembering why he was here. Three days before, Luna showed up and asked for Star's help. Ponies have been mysteriously disappearing. What the police knew was that it was only mares disappearing, and, from what an eyewitness reported, it was a living shadow that was taking them. Star readily accepted the mission, making sure he wouldn't be needed for a few days at the farm.

He arrived at the hotel, the amount of fanciness was way beyond his pay grade. Ponies in rich clothing were piling into long carts, the elegantly dressed staff bustled about, carrying massive amounts of luggage to the rooms and carts of their guests.

Star walked up to the front desk, where a stallion in a tuxedo stood behind. The stallion raised an eyebrow at the simple pony in front of him, which made Star feel all the more out of place. "May I help you, sir?"

"Uh, yes. I had a reservation. Under, uh… Star." The stallion pulled out a large book, opening up a whole mess of pages. He scanned them until the name appeared on the list.

"Ah yes." He grabbed a key from the key box and handed it to Star. "Penthouse suite. Enjoy sir." Star raised an eyebrow, but accepted the key. He went up the elevator to the top floor and saw the most amazing sight of all time.

A massive hotel room with a panoramic view of the city skyline. Fancy rugs, curtains, and furniture were an added bonus to the room. Star immediately dove onto the bed, sinking into the extremely soft mattress.

"Oh sweet. Thank you, Princess!"

Star enjoyed the accommodations for a few hours, the complimentary room service and sophisticated shower especially. But that came to an end as night came. Star Apple transformed into Star Phantom, and took off into the city.

* * *

"Now I know why they call it the 'City That Never Sleeps.'" Star flew over the brightly lit city. In Ponyville, most, if not all the townsfolk would be asleep. Not here, Manehatten was just as busy as it was during the day. There was only one difference, everypony seemed afraid of their own shadow.

On the ground below, a pink unicorn mare with a black mane was walking down the street, obviously strutting her stuff in view of every stallion in within eyesight of her. What she didn't realize was that a certain punk stallion was paying special attention to her. Lucky walked up to the mare, the scarf hidden behind his back.

"Excuse me, miss…"

"Not Interested." The mare tried to walk away, but stopped when the scarf was wrapped around her neck. Her eyes began to slightly glow red. She turned back to Lucky, a seductive smile on her face. "But I can be, Mare Malcriada."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful mare." The punk stallion kissed her hoof, making Mare blush. "So, wanna take a ride on my bike?"

"Oh yes, I would love to." The two walked over to the bike, just as Star flies over head.

The halfa's ghost sense goes off, making him stop and look around. He looked down to see the two heading off on their motorcycle, followed by an unusual shadow. Unlike a normal shadow, this one seems detached from its owner.

"Okay, strange enough for me." He fired a ray at the shadow, not expecting much to happen. What he didn't expect was the shadow to let out a scream and take off into the air away from the "couple".

The two looked up to see Star going after the shadow, Lucky growled. "Stupid ghost kid." He muttered before accelerating. This wasn't missed by Star, he charged toward them, the shadow right behind him. The halfa flew right beside them.

"Pull over punk!"

"Get lost kid!" Lucky shouted as he tried to speed up and avoid the hundreds of carts in the streets. Mare clinged onto the punk stallion for dear life as the bike went at impossible speeds.

"Let me off! This speed is going to ruin my hair!" Mare exclaimed, her high pitch whining made both stallions cringe in annoyance. Star was then tackled by the shadow, his body slamming into the pavement. Carts swerved to avoid him as he left a trench in the street.

All eyes turned to face the half ghost as he skidded to a halt. For once, the city of Manehatten stopped.

Star groaned as he blinked away the spots in his vision. He looked around to see a massive crowd of people surrounding him. They stared at him in awe and fear, most of them didn't even notice the police officers trying to get through. Star then noticed the few officers that did get through the crowd surround him.

"Hey buddy, nice stunt." One said. Star flashed a nervous grin, not really knowing how to take the compliment.

"Too bad we gotta take ya downtown, bub." Another growled. Star's eyes widened.

"Wait, you can't!"

"Just watch us, bub!" The officer pulled out his baton and pair of handcuffs, and rushed the halfa. Star simply turned intangible, allowing the officer to simply pass through him. The officers and crowd watched in shock.

"Look, I don't have time for this. A mare was kidnapped and I need to find her!" Star took off before the officers could do anything else. In moments, he was several blocks away. The police sergeant on the scene activated his radio.

"Attention all units! Suspect on the run!"

Two pegasi patrol officers listened in to the report.

_"__Be on the lookout for a black and white flying earth pony! Be aware, suspect has the ability to walk through solid objects!" _

The two laughed at the report. 'There's no way. Think the sarge finally lost it?"

"I think he's been reading his kids too many ghost stories."

"Now that's a laugh. Ghosts don't exist." At that moment, a black and white earth pony phased through the wall of a building and turned to fly down the street. The two pegasi continued to fly at a relaxed pace, despite the looks on their faces.

"Uh, did you see that?"

"I think I did, but I wish I didn't."

One of them grabbed his radio. "All units! Suspect spotted doing 100 on Main Street!"

Star quickly spotted Lucky on his motorcycle, he could see that Mare was reluctantly clinging onto the biker for dear life. He dove down to street level and quickly caught up to the bike. Lucky's eyes widened when he saw the halfa.

"You again?!" Their attention was turned when several police pegasi appeared behind them.

_"__Both of you, pull over!"_ One shouted into a megaphone.

"Seriously dude? You brought the cops?!" Lucky shouted.

"Hey, I didn't want them here either!" Star defended before firing a blast at the biker. He ducked and swerved the bike into an alley. Star quickly followed, his hooves burning with ecto energy. The alleyway was dark, and he was forced to stop before he crashed into something he couldn't see.

The halfa used his ecto energy to bring some light, and, to his shock, the alley was empty. No sign of the biker or the mare. Police lights lit up the alley, as both sides were cut off by officers and their carts.

"Attention ghostly pony! You are surrounded. Surrender immediately!" The chief of police shouted into his megaphone. Star just floated there, completely confused.

"What?" In an instant, his vision was consumed by darkness. In the perspective of the police, the shadows of the alley jumped out and consumed the stallion before they could blink.

The chief growled before turning to his aide. "Contact the GIW, tell them we have spirits in Manehatten."

* * *

Star's vision slowly returned, the dark blurs faded as the environment became more clear. He wiped his head around to gain a better sense of his location. It was a dark room, tools and motorcycle parts lay everywhere. "A motorcycle shop?" He muttered. His musings were interrupted by a loud scream. His head whipped in the direction he heard it from.

It was a door with a massive chain wrapped around it. He reached over to grab it, only for a hand to shoot from the chain and wrap around his hoof. The chain then grew teeth and growled. Star tried desperately to release his hoof, so the chain obliged him by throwing him into the ceiling. After hitting the roof, Star slammed onto the cement floor.

"Ow." The chain unwrapped itself and revealed it's true form, the shadow from before. "Jeez, can you just leave me alone." Star fired a blast at the shadow, which it easily dodged. He rapidly fired as the shadow flew around the room.

Inside the other room, Lucky was standing over an unconscious Mare, now wearing clothes that matched his Kitty's. Her body began to glow bright white, and began to transform. Her fur turned pale gray, her mane began to split and turn green. Her body lifts up, and in a flash of light, Mare Malcriada was replaced by Kitty. Her eyes open, and a loving smile forms on her face.

"Lucky."

"Kitty." The two embrace and kiss passionately.

"Would you stay still!?" Star fired another blast into a blocked out window. The window shatters, unleashing a ray of light into the room. The shadow was caught in it, screaming as the light touched it. It cringed away from the light, smoke emitting from where it was touched by light.

Star raised an eyebrow, then his eyes widened in realization. He fired several more blasts, breaking the other windows in the room. Rays of light shined into the room, forcing the shadow to dodged them all. "Not enough. Star muttered, then he looked up. Light could be faintly seen through the blockage, a sunroof. He aimed up and fired. The shadow charged at him, claws and teeth sharp. The window exploded, letting in the sunshine. The entire roof was engulfed in light. The shadow screeched and hissed in pain as it disintegrated into dust.

Inside the other room, Kitty screamed in pain as her body began to fade. "L-L-Lucky… I don't… feel so good."

"Kitty! It'll be okay. I got you! Hold on!" Lucky kneeled down next to Kitty, and tried to work his magic. When nothing happened, he began to panic. "No. No no no no no! Kitty! I'm so sorry!"

"Lucky, it's okay. I love you." Kitty's image faded, leaving a still unconscious Mare in her place.

"Kitty. Please. No." Lucky roared in anger and turned toward the door. A second later, Star phased through the door.

"Times up, punk." Star said, pulling out the thermos.

"You. You destroyed my shadow, ruined my powers. I'll destroy you!" Lucky charged at the halfa, who simply pointed the thermos forward and pressed the button. The biker was instantly sucked into the small device, and trapped once the lid was closed. Star sighed, then checked on Mare Malcriada. She was okay, just exhausted from whatever was done to her. Star looked at the thermos with a look of pity. When the shadow was destroyed, he was able to hear inside. When he would get back to Ponyville, he had something to arrange.

Lucky opened his eyes slowly. He looked around to see that he was back in the Spirit Realm. He groaned, thinking about how he failed. "I'm so sorry Kitty. I should've tried harder."

"Well don't try too hard." Lucky's eyes widened and shifted over to the source of that voice. There was Kitty, sitting on his bike. A sly look on her face.

"Kitty!" He rushes up to his girl, and the two embrace. "Where? How?" Kitty just smiled, and got on the bike.

"Ask questions later. Let's ride." Lucky smiled, and got on the bike. Kitty wrapped her hooves around his waist as the bike started up. The crazy couple sped off into the Realm, unaware of Star watching them with a small smile on his face.

"Have fun, you two." With that done, he flew off through the Portal, heading back home for a good night's rest.


	14. Chapter 14: A Diamond in the Ruff

In the Castle of Canterlot, Celestia was going over several new bills and proposals by her Administration. Most of it was harmless, unnecessary tax increases, unwarranted security details, and other stuff the nobles love to throw at her. It was meditative, in her mind. It meant that everything was alright with Equestria. Especially when involving the recent spirit attacks. They have decreased significantly since the creation of the GIW, much to her relief. It was then that she pulled out a document.

It was signed by Head Pony, the leader of the GIW. If he sent her a document, it could only be something extremely important. She put her other papers down and looked it over. When she finished reading, her eyes were wide, her heart racing, and her anger rising.

To summarize the document, it was a report of the Manehatten Incident. It was confirmed that a spirit was kidnapping mares, hoping to use them as a host for its mate, even though spirits cannot physically mate or have relationships, and Star Phantom was spotted attacking the spirit, while also assaulting and evading police.

Celestia growled. Star Phantom was becoming a menace. GIW Experts believe that the reason he fights other ghosts is purely for territory. She was willing to accept that he had Ponyville as his territory, at least he could be contained there. But now he was claiming Manehatten. How long before he claimed all of Equestria? The World?

Head Pony was also asking permission for a base to be established in Manehatten. She immediately approved, and wrote it down in a messenger scroll. As the messenger left the room, Celestia sighed and looked out the window, thinking about what evils Star could be committing right now.

* * *

Star groaned as he put the crate of apples onto the cart. He may be strong, but lifting boxes that weighed more than Big Mac for over an hour was tiring, added onto the fact that he had to work double time to make up for missing two days at the Acres. AppleJack watched as she was attached to the cart. It was her day to man the cart at the Market.

"AJ, you are evil." AJ just laughed.

"Is the heroic Star Phantom havin' trouble liftin' crates o' apples?" She joked. Star just rolled his eyes and lifted the last crate into the cart.

"Alright, you should be all set, oh brave and strong AppleJack." Star gave a mock bow and was about to walk back to the field, when he heard his twin sister grunt. He turned back to see her struggle with the cart, the wheels beginning to sink into the loosely dirted road. He smiled smugly at her sheepish face.

"Would the heroic Star Phantom help a young mare pull a cart?" AJ asked, a blush forming on her cheeks. Star laughed as he hitched himself to the cart, and the two began to pull. The cart moved forward with ease, making Star feel pretty smug about himself. AJ rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah laugh it up Ghost Colt."

****Star Phantom in:****

****A Diamond in the Ruff****

**Big Beautiful Diamonds!**

The two arrived in Ponyville in near record time. The other stalls were still being set up, getting ready for another day at the Ponyville Market. More than a few had their stalls ready to close at a moment's notice, pretty normal for Ponyville these days.

The Apple Siblings found their usual spot and unhitched from the cart. It didn't take long for them to setup, since they had a much simpler cart design compared to most in the town.

"How was Manehatten by the way? Get a chance to enjoy the sights?"

Star shook his head. "I spent most of my time chasing a shadow, you spent more time there than me, why ask?"

AJ shrugged. "Eh, tryin' tah make conversation. Haven't been there since… you know…" Star nodded solemnly, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

_It was shortly after their parents died. They were all hurting. Star and AppleJack took it the worst. Star refused to leave his room, barely ate, and just felt no emotion at all. AppleJack lashed out at everything, even her younger sister AppleBloom. _

_One day, Star woke up to see AppleJack packing a rucksack, in it was a picture of her family, a train ticket, and some apples. Star got out of bed and simply stared at her. Her eyes shifted over to meet his, and she could see the words behind them. _

_"__Ah can't stay Star. There's too many memories here. Ah'm headin' tah Manehatten tah live with Auntie and Uncle Orange." Star said nothing. He just continued to stare. He didn't say anything as his sister finished packing, not when she walked away from the farm, leaving a heart broken Granny Smith and Big Mac behind, not even when she got on the train, and disappeared into the horizon. _

_He said and did nothing for several weeks, he just sat in his room. He ate even less, actually having to go to the hospital to be force fed safely. To the world, StarShine Apple was gone, only a hollow shell was left. _

"Yeah, but don't forget, you came back." Star said with a smile. "Besides, it helped you earn your Mark, didn't it?" AJ looked at her Cutie Mark with a sigh.

"Your right, ah did." The two embraced in a strong Apple Family Hug. "And ah'm glad fur it."

Once the hug ended, Star walked away into town. He made his way through the growing crowd of ponies enjoying the market, having to use his powers every so often to phase in and out of large clumps of ponies. After several minutes of dodging, he reached his destination. Carousel Boutique.

The Gala was only a few weeks away, and Star needed to get everything done before the big night. Firstly, he needed a tuxedo._ 'Can't show up in my jumpsuit, now can I?_' He knocked on the door, and waited a few seconds. Then a few minutes, nothing. Strange. Star put his head next to the door, he could clearly hear voices inside, one belonging to Rarity and some mare he couldn't recognize. The halfa checked to make sure no pony could see him, then turned his head intangible and ducked inside.

Inside, he could see Rarity, stiff as a statue, on the ground, a wide eyed smile on her face. A mare with cream colored fur and a blue mane stood nearby, not even looking at the her. "Yeah, I do have that effect on ponies." She said casually. The first thing that popped into Star's head was GHOST! Then he quickly reminded himself that he wasn't one to jump the gun. So he watched for a minute longer as Rarity slowly got up.

"Of course, Sapphire, I'll have those dresses ready for you in two weeks." The seamstress said, her dreamy eyes practically glowing with excitement and anticipation.

"Perfect. Thank you honey. I can't wait to see 'em baby." With that, Sapphire started trotting toward the door. Star ducked back away from the door, turning tangible again. The door opened, and the creamy mare left. When she was gone, Star stepped inside. He had to wait a little while before saying anything, as Rarity was off in dream land. He would call Luna to get her out, but that would take to long and, if he was honest, Star didn't want to bother the Princess. He was sure she had more stuff on her plate.

Instead, he simply coughed into a hoof. This gained Rarity's attention. She took a moment to compose herself before speaking. "Oh StarShine, what a surprise. How can I help you?" Star could clearly see how excited she was behind her professional posture.

"Hey Rarity, I was just looking for help in getting a tuxedo."

"Ooh, a tuxedo. And what would the occasion be?" The mare gave a strangely sly wink, making the halfa blush.

"Uh, for the Grand Galloping Gala."

"The Gala!? But, how did you get a ticket?!" Star's eyes widened as the seamstress practically tackled him to the ground, if not for his ghostly strength.

"Uh… A friend?" He said, putting on an honest not-so-honest grin. Rarity wasn't convinced. She stared hard at the stallion with her "investigative eye", then blinked with a smile.

"Oh that's lovely. Simply devine. May I take your measurements now, darling?"

Star shrugged. "Sure, if you're not busy." Rarity dismissed the thought with a weirdly sounded scoff.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all StarShine." She gestured for him to step onto the small stage. She grabbed her measurement tape and got to work. She looked over each measurement, height, width, hoof size, etc.

Once done, she asked him to step down. "Excellent, now." She used her magic to grab several different color hues. "Which color should it be? I have Bamboo, Black, Turquoise-"

"I'd like it in black, please." Rarity looked him over, analyzing the color of his fur, mane, and eyes.

"I think that's perfect darling!" She threw the other colors to the side and carried the black material over to one of the many ponyquins in her shop. "I'll have it ready by next week."

Star brightened up. "Thanks Rarity, how much do I owe ya?"

"Oh think nothing of it, consider it a gift from a friend." Star dimmed down.

"Rarity, no." The mare turned in confusion.

"No, what do you mean no?"

"I won't freeload. I'm ready to pay for it."

"StarShine, I do not need your bits, I just recieved an order from Sapphire Shores! She'll pay more than enough to cover her order and yours." She got back to work, but Star didn't back down.

"I'd rather pay my dues, so… how about I help out around here."

Rarity turned back to him. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, whatever help you need." Rarity looked over to her empty gem box, and got an idea.

"Well… there is one thing." Star smiled.

* * *

His smile was gone as he dragged a little red wagon across the rocky ground of the nearby quarry. Sitting in the wagon was Spike, who was more or less spending his entire time gushing over Rarity.

"Wow, Sapphire Shores, the Pony of Pop. You must have been freaking out!" He stated, earning an eye roll from Rarity.

"Spike, a lady does not 'freak out.' However, I was rather flustered." Rarity said with a giggle towards the end of her sentence. Star just sighed. He didn't know Sapphire Shores that well, Pop wasn't his thing. Now, Country was his favorite. He could listen to country all day, especially since his family was good at country.

He tuned out the rest of the conversation in favor of letting a tune play through his head. He was so distracted that he almost ran into Rarity as she suddenly stopped.

"Alright, this looks like a good spot." She stated, then activated her magic. In an instant, the ground below her started to glow. She signaled Spike to get going, which he did. He ran over to the glowing spot and used his tail to start digging. Star just watched the operation take place, unaware that he wasn't the only one watching.

In the bushes nearby, three slouched over figures watched the young dragon dig. "Ooh, small scaly thing dig good. Maybe he dig for Diamond Dogs."

"Yesss, little thing dig for Pack."

"Spike, over here!" Their eyes shifted to the pony using magic to find the gems.

"Oh, we don't need scaly thing, we just need gem hunting pony!"

"Yes! We get pony, we get more gems!"

Star decided to take a seat, he wasn't going to be needed for a little while. At least, not until Spike got really hungry and tries to eat everything in the wagon. He got comfortable and closed his eyes. Then he immediately opened them again as a chill ran up his spine and exited his mouth in a misty breath. He shot up and got into a subtle defensive pose. This one felt familiar, but he wasn't sure what.

All of a sudden, Rarity ran off, chasing a "Moving Gem?" Star's eyes widened. It was probably the ghost! He ran after the mare and dragon, forgetting about the wagon. He never noticed the small green shape coming out of the bushes.

* * *

Star finally caught up to the two when they stopped in the middle of a massive clearing. Star looked around, something was definitely wrong here. Rarity didn't seem to notice, as she was too excited about the gem she found. "Wow, Spike, this is huge! Get ready to dig it up!" Spike stuck his tail in the ground, but before he could dig, something grabbed it. In an instant, he was flung up into the air, landing not far off near a tree.

Rarity and Star watched it happen with stunned expressions. Star shook his away first, noticing that this ground was disturbed, all over the place. "Rarity. Run." He commanded. The mare did so, but didn't get far as a pair of paws spouted from the ground and grabbed a hold of her.

Star looked back as he heard the scream, and immediately ran towards her. In a flash, two dogs popped up from the ground, teeth bare and claws sharp. Star looked past them in horror as Rarity is dragged into the ground with a horrid scream. He then looked over at Spike, who was unconscious from the impact of his head.

"Give up pony! We outnumber you." One of the dogs growled.

"I don't give up." Star said. "I Go Ghost!" A bright light surrounded him, blinding the two dogs. A ring split in two around his waist, his fur changed to black as the rings passed over. In less than a few seconds, Star Apple became Star Phantom. The dogs recoiled in shock.

"You… the Pony who Smells of Death!" One said.

"Please, have mercy!"

Star raised an eyebrow. The first one apparently decided to not want the mercy, as he pulled out a dog whistle. He blew it loudly, which summoned several armored dogs with spears. Star looked around in shock. _'Where did these guys come from?' _He got into a defensive stance and waited for them to attack.

He didn't have to wait long, as the armored dogs charged at him from all directions. Star jumped up, dodging the spears. He landed behind one of the dogs, grabbed his tail, and yanked him into the air. He didn't waste time watching as a second dog rushed toward him. The halfa turned intangible, letting the dog faze through him. The dog looked around completely confused, an ecto blast to the back ended his confusion. Star looked toward the last three remaining armored dogs. He could see them trembling in their armor. He smiled slyly.

"Boo." The dogs screamed and dove into a large hole in the ground. Star dusted off his hooves, then his eyes widened in realization. "Rarity!" He dove for the hole, only to be surprised when a large mound of dirt replaced it. "Wait, what?!" He watched as several other holes were replaced with dirt mounds.

For a moment, Star thought he was going to have a hard time getting in. Then he remembered his ghost powers. He turned intangible and invisible, then flew through the dirt mound. It didn't take long for him to find a tunnel, he followed it into a massive room. When he saw what was inside, his eyes widened. The room was filled with many tunnel entrances, this was going to be a maze. Well, time to start looking.

In another room, the dogs placed a rusted harness around Rarity, who began her most powerful fighting technique, whining. "Ow, not so ti~ght!" The dogs groaned as they covered their sensitive ears.

"Agh! Stop whining, Pony!"

"But I thought you wa~nted whin~ing!"

Star stopped as he heard a very shrill and annoying voice echo from another tunnel. He recognized that whining anywhere. Rarity! He charged down the tunnel the voice came from, his hooves glowing greed with ecto energy.

He burst into the large room, surprising the dogs and pony inside.

"The dead pony!" One of them shouted. Rarity had a look of shock on her face. He was the last thing she expected today, above being ponynapped by dogs.

Star smirked at the fearful expressions the dogs carried. Good, this should be a bit easier. "Boo." The dogs screamed and went into a panic. All except one. Star noticed the specific dog and glared at him. The dog glared back and pulled out a strange looking dagger.

Star studied the dagger, it was long, sharp, and glowing green. Glowing green things were not a good sign.

"Dead Pony not scare me." The dog growled. "Me destroy dead things bigger than you, Pony." A ghost hunting Diamond Dog? Okay, not what Star expected. The dog got into a defensive stance.

"Fight me Pony." Star fired a blast from his hooves, a blast which the dog easily dodged. The dog charged forward, catching Star off guard. He barely managed to dodge the dagger, its blade sliced along his shoulder.

Star screamed in pain and clutched the wound. He looked at the wound in surprise, then glared at the dog. The dog bared his teeth and charged again. Star avoided the blade and landed a swift kick across the dogs face.

"Ha! Is that the best you got?!"

"Hi~Ya!" Both Star and the Dog turn their heads to see Rarity standing in a kung fu pose over an unconscious guard. She looked at them in confusion and got into a normal stance.

"What? Just because I'm a lady doesn't mean I don't know how to defend myself." She back hoofed another dog that tried to sneak up behind her without batting an eye. Star blinked, then smiled. He fired an ecto blast at the big dog, who was still distracted by the mare. The dog went flying into the wall, dropping the glowing blade. Rarity fought off another dog, but was grabbed by a second one that snuck up behind her.

"Ah! Let me go at once, you ruffians!" The dog laughed.

"Ha, got ya now, pony!" Star turned to help, but was stopped when the dog put her into a shield position. "Not so fast, dead pony. You come closer, we ripe her inside out." Star growled, then a gasp of cold air left his mouth.

No no no. I don't have time for this, and why does this one feel familiar?

"Now, we walk away with gems and pony, and you go away!" The Diamond Dog never noticed the giant green creature appear behind him. "Deal?" Star just relaxed and crossed his front hooves with a sly slime. The dog was greatly confused. "What dead pony smiling about?!"

All Star did was point behind him. The dog turned and screamed when he saw a massive green ghost dog. Rarity gaped at the massive creature, but kept silent.

"Oh Cujo, sick him." The diamond dog screamed and dropped Rarity as Cujo tried to chomp at him. The other dogs scattered in every which way, hoping to get away from the massive ghost dog. Star grabbed Rarity and took her from the room.

He vigorously checked he over. "Are you okay?!" He never noticed the dreamy gaze Rarity started giving him.

"I am now, thanks to you." Rarity suddenly got too close for comfort, making the halfa raise an eyebrow and back away.

"Okay then, I'll just… get Cujo. Be right back." He flew back into the room, and the sight before him was one to behold. Every single dog was down on the ground, cowering before the might of Puppy Form Cujo, who just sat in place while wagging his tail and letting his tongue hang out.

Star cooed at the puppy. "Awe, who's a good boy? You are. Yes, you are." Cujo yipped at the praise. "Right, now back to the bad dogs." He looked down to see the leader try to crawl away. He grabbed him and brought him to face. "Now, you're going to let the mare go, leave her alone, and never bother her again. Got it?"

The dog vigorously nodded. "Yes, yes. Of course, anything you want!"

"Rarity?! Ya down here?!" The voice of AppleJack can be heard echoing through the tunnel. Star smiled. If AJ was here, that meant the others were as well. Good. His job was done, he could hear Rarity call out, leading them to their location.

"Also, one more thing…"

Twilight, AppleJack, and the others followed the trail of gems down the tunnel. Rarity's voice became louder and more tangible than before. They were getting close. AJ was confused, the prim and proper mare didn't sound scared, she actually sounded relaxed. The country mare smiled, quickly realizing why.

_Saved the day again Star._

They came into a large room, and to their shock, they found Rarity being pampered while large dogs piled mountains of gems into carts. The white mare noticed them and waved.

"Girls! So wonderful to see you! I could really use the help."

Later that night, Star was back at Sweet Apple Acres. His wound was wrapped in gauze. He told his friends and family that he was injured when the diamond dogs attacked, a half truth. It didn't hurt much, but thanks to the ecto nature of the blade, it wouldn't heal fast.

His door opened, letting AppleJack inside. She smiled slyly at her twin brother. "Mah brother, gettin' good with the mares now?"

Star raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" His twin laughed.

"The entire way back, Rarity started gushin' over you. 'Oh, Inviso-Bill is so brave. He came all this way to save me. He truly is a knight.'" AJ explained, impersonating her friend. Star laughed.

"I bet Twilight and Rainbow weren't happy." AJ shook her head with a smile.

"Eenope. But hey, ya got another supporter, an admirer tah boot."

"Hey, as long as there isn't a hidden shrine in her boutique, she can admire all she wants." The two laughed, not knowing that Rarity already started gathering photos for her Inviso-Bill shrine.

**Author's Note: **

**Eh. RariStar. Not my favorite ship, but a ship none the less.**


	15. Chapter 15: Spirit of Music

Star was in the Ponyville Market, buying different types of foods for the week. He watched as Fluttershy's face appeared on the magazine the store was selling. He felt bad for her, he knew she didn't like the limelight. The halfa just hoped that something popular would take her place, and fast.

He put the magazine down and went back to his shopping, hoping to get it done before nightfall. He never saw the Fluttershy magazines be replaced by another mare's picture.

****Star Phantom in: ****

****Spirit of Music****

**Tell Me Who You Love!**

As Star finished up going to the market, he passed by a small music dome near the park. Normally, you would find a resident musician or actor doing a performance for passersby. However, all he could see was a massive mob formed around the stage manager. The pony seemed to be desperately trying to keep the angry ponies at bay.

"Settle down. I've already rearranged all your performance dates to next month." He said. This only made the mob angrier.

"A month?! I'm supposed to be in Canterlot in a month! Where is my group supposed to practice?!"

"Dude. You made me a day show. You know I only do nights!" These were among the many complaints given by the mob.

"Who replaced us anyway?!"

The manager seemed to gain a dreamy smile on his face as he responded. "Ember Flame. The newest, and most popular, musician in Equestria. She's spending time in Ponyville before going to Canterlot to finish her tour."

Star raised an eyebrow. Ponyville had celebrities here before, but Ember Flame came out of nowhere. If she's as popular as they say. Her arrival would've been heard of way before booking the dome. He watched as the crowd was forced to disperse by security, their angry scowls only growing firmer.

He watched as Vinyl and Octavia passed, deciding to talk to them about the situation.

They didn't notice him at first, since they were completely lost in their conversation. "Stupid Ember. Stupid popularity. My band can not practice anywhere else. And we were performing at the Gala this year!" The grayish brown earth pony said, her glare burning holes in the road.

Vinyl slammed her hooves on the ground in frustration. "Yeah. My bits come from my weekly concerts. I might not be able to afford the rent!" Star was surprised. Octavia and Vinyl were usually more calm about these types of situations. Whatever was happening, it hurt them deeply.

"Hey girls. Everything okay?" The two snapped their heads toward the halfa, small smiles formed as they recognized the stallion.

"Star, wazzup my main stallion." Vinyl and Star high hoofed, while Octavia simply nodded.

"Good to see you Star. How's everything on the farm?" Star shrugged.

"It's fine. I'm more worried about you guys. What's going on?"

Octavia snorted. "Some new pop star named Ember. Apparently she's booked an entire month, completely tossing us aside."

Star's eyes widened. "But you guys are always popular!"

Vinyl rolled her eyes. "Guess not as popular as Miss Pop Star."

"Yikes, sorry girls."

Octavia sighed. "It's not your fault Star. Thank you for the support anyway. I better go tell my associates the bad news."

"Same. Gotta tell the crew the bull load. Later." With that, the two mares walked away, leaving Star to ponder just who this Ember Flame was.

He stared at her poster with suspicion, then left the stage area

* * *

"Oh mah gosh! Ember Flame is comin' tah town!" Star cringed at how loud AppleBloom was being right now. He went back to Sweet Apple Acres to talk to his siblings about his suspicions. He certainly didn't expect them to show this much excitement.

"Okay guys, we just gonna ignore the fact that several Ponyville musicians got put out of work because of this mare?!"

The three Apples rolled their eyes. "Come on, Star. Not Ember's fault she's so popular." AppleJack said dismissively.

"Yeah, Ember's just too good." AppleBloom added.

"Eeyup." Star just stared at his older brother with a deadpan expression. He threw up his front hooves in a dramatic fashion.

"Fine. Guess I'm the only one who cares about my musically talented friends being shafted by some upstart one hit wonder!" The halfa recoiled at the loud gasps his siblings did.

AppleJack glared. "Don't talk about Ember that way!"

"She's the greatest, most talented pony ever!" AppleBloom added.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac finished. Star just sighed, transformed, and took off. When he was gone, AppleBloom turned on the record player, starting up Ember's one song.

_"__So warm and tender! You will Remember my Name!"_

* * *

Star flew over the town, noticing how everypony was listening to the same song over and over again. Seriously! What is so good about this mare's music?!

Sure, she sounded great. But this mare only existed in Ponyville for barely a day and she's already the next best thing since Zap Apple Jam. Star groaned as he could hear the song starting up again.

He looked around to see who was playing it, when he saw a strange looking train pull into the station. Unlike the usual pinkish colors of the Equestrian Railways, this train was bluish white, with cyan flames marking the front and sides. The sound was originating from an empty flatcar near the rear of the train. The entire town suddenly rushed over to the train, cheering and hollering like a frantic mob.

Star felt a chill go up his spine as his breath began to mist. His ghost sense was telling him a spirit was nearby. He looked around to see what could be causing it to go off.

Smoke blew from the flatcar, then dissipated, revealing none other than Ember Flame herself. The crowd went ballistic at the sight of their idle. Ember grinned as she stood before her crowd.

"Hello Ponyville! Tell me who you love!"

"Ember! Ember! Ember!" The crowd chanted in unison. Ember's flaming hair expanded as the chanting continued. Behind her, more smoke appeared, followed by her bandmates.

"Ember Lame! Ember Lame!" The crowd grew silent as Ponyville's DJ shouted out her own chant. Her roommate was doing everything she could to quiet the mare down.

"Vinyl." She growled. "You're making a scene." Their other friend, Lyra Heartstrings, wasn't helping at all.

"Ember Lame! One Hit Blunder!" Bon Bon face hoofed at her best friend's immaturity.

Ember simply rolled her eyes. "Oh great, jealous rivals." She grinned as she changed the dial on her guitar. "Well, audience. Show them who you wanna hear!" She blasted a note, sending a purple spiral through the crowd. Their eyes went red as they turned to face the four mares with snarls and growls. The four backed away slowly as the crowd advanced.

Star's eyes widened in shock. Ember was a ghost! He rushed down and stood between the crowd and the four mares. He looked at them with determination. "Run."

The mares did so, leaving Star to handle the crowd. He sprouted an ecto shield to block the crowd in. They bashed against the shield, snarling like wild animals. The shield slowly began to shrink as Star backed down. He looked back to see the mares were clear. Star dropped the shield and took off into the air.

"Alright, time to deal with the one hit blun-" His eyes widened as he looked at the empty flatcar. Ember and her band were long gone. The crowd below stood around in a daze.

Star groaned as realization hit. She used the crowd to escape. He flew off into town to find the mares and make sure they were okay.

* * *

Star had a lot to think about as he flew over town. It was obvious Ember was using some form of mind control on anypony who listens to her music, but why were he and the other musicians unaffected?

His ghost powers more than likely kept him safe, but the others. Unless they were halfas, there should be no way for them to resist. He didn't have any more time to think about it as he spotted the mares huddled inside Sugar Cube Corner.

Mrs. Cake placed a milkshake on the table, which Vinyl immediately grabbed and chugged down. Octavia rolled her eyes.

"Vinyl, must you drink a milkshake at a time like this?"

"What?" The DJ asked after gulping down the shake. "It helps me think."

Bon Bon leaned in. "Did you see what Ember did out there?! She has mind control powers!"

Lyra nodded. "She has to have some serious skill to be able to pull that magic off."

"Something tells me it's more than that." All four heads turn to the black and white stallion floating above them. None of them say or do anything, too shocked to think. Star just waited for their brains to catch up. Once they did, one screamed, two more grinned like cats that swallowed canaries, and the fourth one whipped out an ecto-blaster. Star cringed at the scream, got creeped out by the grins, and recoiled in shock from the blaster.

"Woah woah-woah-woah! Good guy here!" Star frantically shouted while waving his hooves in front of his body. Bon Bon simply glared as she aimed her blaster at the ghost, then Lyra stepped in front of her.

"Bonnie! What the heck?!" The unicorn shouted. "He's cool!"

"But how many times has he destroyed the town?" The earth pony asked with venom. Star looked down in guilt at that remark, nor did he deny what he did in the past.

"Well, he did save us." Vinyl thought aloud as she shook Octavia out of her shock. Bon Bon looked between her best friend and the ghostly menace, her eyes snapping between the two several times. After what felt like hours, she sighed and lowered the blaster.

'Fine, I suppose I'll let you go this time." Star let out a sigh of relief, glad to safe for now. Lyra, on the other hoof, raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"And where did you get the blaster?" The mint unicorn asked slowly.

"Twilight!" Bon Bon said quickly. Everypony stared at her with semi-suspicious glares, then Star broke it up.

"Okay, whatever. I just need to ask a question to all of you?" The four mares looked at him in confusion. "How come you're not affected by Ember's music?" They all shrugged.

"That is a good question." Bon Bon mumbled to herself.

"Maybe it's because of our musical interest. After all, we all have a pitch we find perfect." Octavia suggested.

"That makes sense, Ember's pitch is at that perfect level for most ponies. But since we all work at different pitches, we aren't affected by her!" Lyra added.

"True, plus her song is good tune wise, and her lyrics are great." Vinyl added. "But I prefer my remix and techno. I literally can't hear anything else."

Bon Bon shrugged. "I'm just tone deaf."

Star nodded. "Okay, so how to we battle music like Ember's?"

Vinyl rolled her eyes. "Duh. By being better!"

"Wait what?" Star raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, that could work!" Bon Bon agreed loudly. "If we could create a better pitch, we can break her spell."

Star looked at them with a doubting glance. "But would that work on a ghost?" The four mares looked at him with wide eyes. This might be a bit more difficult. Lyra then sighed and shrugged.

"What else can we do?"

"Okay then. So now we gotta create a song that sounds great and could go toe to toe with a ghost. Great. Just great." Bon Bon droned.

"Oh, come on Bonnie. It'll be fun." Vinyl said, putting a hoof around her haunches. "We got this."

"Alright then, let's get to work." Octavia said. "Lyra and I will do musical notes. Vinyl, you work on a beat. Bon Bon, pull security. Inviso-Bill-"

"Phantom." The ghost colt said abruptly. "It's Star Phantom."

"Alright then… Phantom, you prepare to take on that ghost." Star nodded nervously as the others got to work. His eyes suddenly widened in realization.

"Wow, this is going by a lot quicker than I thought." And did Octavia really just take control here?

* * *

At the Performance Stage in the park, Ember was making final preparations for her concert. She smirked devilishly as she finely tuned her guitar.

"Almost, just a little more power, then even the Princesses won't be able to resist my control!" A knock came from her door and a stage pony stepped inside.

"Miss Ember, you're on in five." The stallion said with a dreamy look in his eyes.

"Thanks, sweetie. You've been a big help." Ember said sweetly, earning a fan giggle from the stage pony, how closed the door. The unicorn mare sighed in content as the sound of her name echoed from the crowd outside. Her flaming hair expanded, then shrunk back to normal size, albeit a bit brighter.

"Time for my 'adoring' fans." With that, Ember left the dressing room and marched on stage. The massive crowd went berserk.

"EMBER! EMBER! EMBER! EMBER!" As the chanting continued, Ember felt the power surge through her like fire, her hair grew brighter and larger with each syllable of her name.

"That's it baby! Tell me who you love!"

The band appeared from thin air, and began their tune.

_"__Yeah-ah. Oh oh ohohaho!" _

_"__It was, it was September. Wind blows, the dead leaves fall."_  
_"To you, I did surrender. Two weeks, you didn't call." _  
_"You're life, went on without me. My life, a losing game."_  
_"But you should, you should not doubt me~."_  
_"You will Remember my Name." _

_"__Oh oh, Ember! You will Remember!"_  
_"Ember! One thing remains!" _  
_"Oh oh, Ember! So warm and tender~!" _  
_You Will Remember My Name!" _

Standing on a nearby hill, Star and the four mares watched the concert with determination in their eyes. Vinyl readied her speakers and turntable. Octavia readied her cello, Lyra her lyre, Bon Bon her ecto gun (just in case), and Star readied his ecto hooves.

Vinyl activated her turntable. "Hit it!" Octavia started off with a slow rhythm. Vinyl then matched it with a few beats. Lyra then started playing her lyre, catching onto the rhythm the others were creating.

Vinyl turned up the volume.

Members of the audience caught wind of the music and turned their attention to the five ponies playing. More joined in, and soon the crowd was enthralled by them.

Ember glared at the four mares and stallion, then smirked. "So, these ponies wanna have a battle of the bands. Let the battle begin."

She began the next few notes of her song, when a toxic green ecto blast hit her guitar. Ember watched in horror as her instrument went flying into the air. It was caught by a pair of glowing white hooves.

Star floated triumphantly above the rock star, his own smirk showing. "Hey Ember, mind if I jam with the band?"

"Sorry Babypop, I don't do duets!" She fired her own flaming blasts at the halfa, who dodged them with ease. She roared before charging up and landing a solid punch on his face. Star went flying, dropping the guitar in the process. Ember dove for it, and caught it. She was about to start playing again when Star slammed onto the stage. The two glared at each other before Star grabbed a microphone stand, then posed with it in a defensive manner. They stared each other down until Star made a 'Come At Me, Bro!' gesture. Ember obliged by raising her guitar over her head and rushing the halfa.

He blocked the instrument with the stand, pushing her back to make his own attack. The two fought with their makeshift weapons as the mares continued to play, drawing in more and more of the audience. Star went on the offensive by swinging the microphone down over his head. Ember blocked the attack with her guitar, but the mare felt her energy being sapped away. She turned toward the crowd and saw that their attention was on the four mares performing on the hill. Her shock was enough of a distraction for Star to change tactics and take a gold swing at Ember's head.

She had no time to react as the mic whacked the side of her head. The mare went flying down the stage, landing hard on her back. She struggled to get up as Star stood above her. The rockstar ignored the halfa as she gave a pleading look to the cloud.

"No! Please! Tell me who you love!" She commanded. None of the ponies obeyed. They were entranced by the other mares and their music. "Say my name! Say MY NAAAAAAME!" Ember cried into the heavens before collapsing onto the stage. Star just sighed and pulled out the thermos.

"The only words we got for ya is 'So Long, Farewell, and Goodbye'." Ember screamed in anger as she was sucked into the device. Star slammed the lid closed, and took off. The other ghost band members disappeared, and the musicians finished their song. The crowd cheered, giving the musicians a newfound drive. They smiled at each other and started another song.

Star smiled and took off toward the Everfree Forest. He didn't realize that Bon Bon watched him fly away, before powering down her blaster. "Congrats Ghost Colt. You earned the peace this time." She then glared at the ground. "But now I gotta deal with Head Pony. Just great."

* * *

The next day came with most of the town returning to normal, although most of the residents were absolutely exhausted after their late night concert. Everything Ember related was taken down, and all performance times were returned to normal.

Star watched one by Octavia and her Orchestra from atop the same hill they had used as a stage the night before. It was a really well done performance, Star couldn't wait for them to perform at the Gala. He had a newfound respect for performers, musician or otherwise. He saw just how easy it was for somepony to become popular and die out due to someone better.

He doubted that would ever happen in Ponyville though, since everypony got a share of talent. He just hoped that Ember would learn that attention didn't need to be forced. The halfa hoped he left her with a good teacher.

* * *

In the frozen waste of the Spirit Realm, Ember growled as she covered her ears from the most annoying sound in the world.

"Ember! Ember! Ember!" Klemper shouted in excitement.

Ember turned with a glare and shouted "Stop saying my name!" Klemper ignored her and kept saying her name as she kept walking through the ice and snow of the Spirit Realm.


	16. Chapter 16: Stampeding Quarrels

Celestia's sun blazed over the desert wastes of Southern Equestria. The only signs of any civilizations were the steel rails of the Equestrian Railroad and the train rolling over them. The train was being pulled by a team of rail stallions, since the locomotive broke down halfway through the journey. Inside the private car at the back of the train, AppleJack sat next to the bed, reading a bedtime story.

Once the story finished, she pulled the covers over the occupant of the bed, patting him gently. The tender moment ended with a scoff as Rarity entered the car.

"AppleJack, were you just reading a bedtime story to a… tree?!" AJ smiled sheepishly. Behind the white unicorn stood Star Apple, who rolled his eyes in amusement. His twin cared a lot about the apple trees on the farm, but she sometimes cared a little too much.

The halfa left the two to their discussion as he turned invisible and climbed onto the roof of the train. He looked around before a flash of light enveloped his body. An invisible Star Apple was quickly replaced by a visible Star Phantom, who took off into the sky with a cheer.

He flew at top speed through the open sky, doing flips and tricks with a grin on his face. Star did fly a lot back in Ponyville, but most of that time he was doing it to avoid getting blasted by ghosts, GIW agents, and to avoid the populace in general. But out here, where there was nothing to worry about, the halfa could feel completely free.

He noticed that the sun was setting, so he flew back down onto the roof, quickly transforming back into Star Apple. The stallion didn't bother staying in the sleeping car with the others, he knew what AJ and her friends were like together. He wouldn't be able to sleep a wink, and to be sleep deprived around his cousin Braeburn was a death sentence. Well, a full death sentence. He joked to himself as he climbed into the bed with Bloomburg.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, he felt a claw tap his shoulder. There stood Spike, who simply gestured toward the other car. Star smiled knowingly and made room on the bed for the little dragon. Once comfortable, he went right to sleep.

****Star Phantom in: ****

****Stampeding Quarrels ****

**You Gotta Share! You Gotta Care!**

Star's peaceful sleep was destroyed with the violent shaking of the car. He was thrown from the bed as the train car literally tilted from side to side. Somehow, Spike was asleep during all this. The halfa looked outside to see a massive herd of buffalo attacking the train. Several buffalo rammed the train, making it jolt.

Star quickly made priorities, first one being to get Spike to safety. He picked up the still sleeping dragon and made his way to the door of the car. To his shock, a smaller buffalo jumped down from the roof in front of him. She didn't notice him, however, choosing instead to disconnect the car from the rest of the train.

Star acted fast, and threw Spike over the buffalo's head into the other train car. Before she could turn around, Star transformed and took a stance. The buffalo's eyes widened in surprise and fear.

"Okay, pal. If you hate trains so much, take an airship!" Star floated in the air to avoid being jolted by the other buffalo pushing the train car away. The smaller one backed away, confusing Star a bit. The buffalo then glared and pulled out a strange, red flower. The halfa scoffed.

"What, you gonna give me allergies or something?"

"Be gone spirit! Back to the Realm of which you reside!" The, now obvious, female buffalo shouted as she threw the flower at Star. He could see a blood red mist rising from the petals, the air suddenly grew thicker. He found that he couldn't breath. A burn started to irritate his skin. Scratch that, this burn made his skin boil!

The half ghost let out a roar of pain, curling up in a vain attempt to end it. More of those flowers were thrown into the car, causing further pain. After what felt like an eternity of agony, Star Phantom finally had enough and reverted back to Star Apple. The buffalo witnessed the whole thing and gasped.

* * *

The next time Star woke up, his head was killing him, and his body felt like he just got cooked by the sun at the beach. He blinked before taking in his new surroundings. It looked like the inside of one of those funnel cones for ice cream.

_What hit me? _He asked himself. Then memories of his last fight came back to him. _Oh sweet Celestia, don't tell me…_

His plead was left unanswered as the same small buffalo from before entered the tent. In her mouth was a bowl of… something. Star didn't know what it was as he was too busy trying to get up. The buffalo realized he was awake and gasped. The bowl plopped to the ground, its content spilling out all over the floor.

Neither of them paid mind to it, however, as they were too busy staring each other down. Star pushed his mind into overdrive, doing multiple things at once. This included coming up with a plan of escape, a distraction, an explanation, and words to say to her.

Soon, his plan was formed. The first step was transforming into Phantom. Next followed step two. "Um… Hi?" It wasn't the best plan. The buffalo stared at him for a few seconds before diving her face toward the ground.

_Uh, what's she doing?_

"Oh Great One, please have mercy. I did not mean to injure you. Had I known who you were, I would have ceased hostilities!"

_Great One? Me?!_ "Uh. I-it's fine. Really, um..." Star sputtered out, his mind was too confused to make his words come out right.

The buffalo rose. "Strong Heart, oh Great One."

"Strong Heart. I don't take any offence." _Okay, getting better. Just stay calm. _"If it isn't too much trouble, mind telling me where I am?"

"Of course, you are in our camp, just to the west of the Pony Settlement." Star's eyes widened. He wasn't taken as far as he thought.

"Okay, now why did you attack the train?" Strong Heart winced, giving Star reason to raise an eyebrow in suspicion.

"I think it would be best if you talked to the Chief." Star considered it for a moment, then nodded in agreement. He stood up and realized that he was still in Phantom Form. The halfa was about to change back, but stopped. He figured it might be a better idea to stay in this form incase something went wrong. Star followed Strong Heart out of the tent and into the open air of the Buffalo Camp.

To say Star was impressed was an understatement. Seeing so many buffalo that were trying destroy your ride is one thing, to see those same buffalo bowing before you as you walk past them is something else entirely. He inwardly cringed at the praise, not at all used to the concept.

It didn't take long for them to find the Chief. The massive buffalo easily towered over the smaller stallion, his feathered top even more so. Star may have faced mechanical bounty hunters, Alicorns in need of anger control, and ghosts of every size and every type, but the Chief was the most intimidating creature he's met so far. That's why his confusion grew tenfold when the massive buffalo bowed before him.

"I am honored to be in your presence, Great One." He said. "I am Chief Thunderhooves."

Star decided to bow back in respect. "Chief Thunderhooves. The pleasure is… all mine." He replied, unsure of the proper response. "My name is Star Phantom."

"Sir Star Phantom, I wish to offer my most sincere apologies for Strong Heart's actions. For she-"

"It's okay. She didn't know. I understand. I just have two questions about that, what was that flower she used?" Star asked with a raised eyebrow.

Chief Thunderhooves hummed loudly before speaking. "The flower is called a 'Blood Blossom.' A rare flower with supernatural properties." Star blinked, expecting more. "The flower creates a shield that reacts violently to spiritual energy, mostly to those of unwelcome spirits. They are our best defense against any spirit who intends to harm our tribe." The halfa nodded.

"I get it. Nature's own anti-ghost defense."

"Yes. In nature, it is important to have balance." Thunderhooves explained. "For if one grew too powerful, negative effects would follow."

"Okay, now why attack the train?" He crossed his arms, a small scowl forming on his face. His sister and friends were attacked, the buffalo should be lucky he wasn't angrier.

"A pony settlement has taken the land from us. Land we have used as a stampeding trail for generations. It is our sacred tradition to stampede along that sacred ground, for it is the path where spirits can roam among us in peace."

Strong Heart stepped forward. "The settler ponies built an apple orchard over the trail, and spirits have become more violent over time. We cannot quell them if our connection to the land is being severed by the settlers."

"I… see." It was simple to understand. But to know that his extended family and their settlement was causing so much trouble was a little off putting. Now he had an answer as to why the train was attacked. A reason that didn't require him to further defend his sister and her friends. But now another question came to mind. So, with one curiosity satisfied, Star decided to indulge the other one.

"Also, why am I being called 'Great One.' I'm not all that good, am I?"

Thunderhooves said nothing. After moments of stillness, he pointed to the largest tent in the camp. His tent. Star looked at him with confusion, then moved inside. The Chief and Strong Heart followed quickly behind.

The tent seemed a lot bigger on the inside, slightly surprising Star. It seemed pretty standard. There was a bed mat, and some tapestry along the edge, but not much else. He looked back at Thunderhooves, who motioned for him to sit. Once he did, Thunderhooves spoke.

"Long ago, a spirit came to our ancestors…"

_The Buffalo Tribe of Old sat around their campfire, doing traditional dances and prayers for better weather and good fortunes. Suddenly, a strange figure appeared through the smoke. While its image was obscured in the ash and soot, the buffalo could tell it was a pony. _

_"__One day, a being of the living and the dead will rise, and bring a new age. I ask the buffalo to be his supporters, for many of his kind will reject him. Promise to protect him, fight for him, if need be. Be the first to lead the charge for change." _

_Before the Elders could ask anything, the figure disappeared into the smoke. The entire tribe stood in silence, unsure of their future._

"Since then, we have prepared. Stampeding across the continent, gathering allies, learning more about the spirits. All we awaited for…" he paused for a moment. "Was you, Star Phantom."

To say Star was shocked was like saying Pinkie Pie was a little silly. It was an understatement beyond comparison. Not only was he worshipped by buffalo, and who knows who else, and not only were there expectations for his becoming a halfa, but now he was expected to be the bringer of change?! There were too many questions bombarding his mind.

_What change? How? When? Where? Why me?_ The list kept going. He looked up with a plea to Chief Thunderhooves for answers, but all he got was a solemn nod from the massive buffalo.

"I'm sorry, Star Phantom. We are as in the dark as you are. But know this, Star Phantom will always be welcome among the buffalo." The two bowed in respect, then left. Star simply sat there, alone and confused, in the tent.

Several miles away, in the new pony settlement of Appleloosa, AppleJack was pacing back and forth in her room. Star has been missing for almost a day now, probably hogtied somewhere in a buffalo camp. She wanted to go after him, but Sheriff Silver Star wouldn't let them leave until tomorrow. The orange mare tried to sleep, knowing she would need the energy, but she couldn't. What kind of sister would she be if she wasn't panicking about her twin being ponynapped by buffalo, especially ones that hate Apples. She just hoped things would work themselves out when they find him tomorrow.

As night took over the sky, the buffalo settled into their tents for the night. The Chief entered his tent, and saw Star still sitting in the same spot, his eyes closed in troubled thought.

"Star Phantom." The halfa opened his eyes and looked at the Chief. "The tent you awoke in is yours. You may sleep there undisturbed."

Star nodded in thanks. "I'm going to negotiate with the settlers tomorrow." The Chief blinked in surprise. "They're my family, and I don't want them to keep causing issues here. If the spirits are angry, then they need to understand that." Thunderhooves nodded.

"Thank you, Great One. I shall have Strong Heart escort you to the settlement at first light."

"Much appreciated." With that, Star left for his tent, and decided as much as he could. Tomorrow was going to be one heck of a day.

* * *

The next day came too quick for Star. His eyes were barely open and his movement was sluggish. The sun was but a speck on the horizon when he was awoken by Little Strongheart. Where the little buffalo got her energy, Star would never know. The timid little calf from yesterday was replaced by a eerily similar Pinkie Pie. The entire time they travelled, she would ask him about his adventures, fighting spirits, and dealing with ponies.

Star would tell her, though some things he kept vague, and she would ask for more. Her thirst for knowledge was almost as bad as Twilight's. Cause no one had a worse thirst for knowledge than Twilight. After while, Star got used to the questions, and even found it kind of fun to tell his adventures.

* * *

The sun was now truly high when everypony was ready. AppleJack tugged hard on Rarity's saddlebag, to which she whined "Gently please!"

"Sorry, Rarity." AJ said. "But we gotta long way tah go if we wanna reach Buffalo territory. So we gotta hoof it." The orange mare quickly lifted her own saddlebags onto her back and charged down the road…

Only to be stopped by the sight of Star Apple standing there casually as if nothing happened. It didn't take long for the mare to tackle her twin to the ground in relief. The stallion only seemed mildly surprised by the action, choosing instead to grip her tightly in a brotherly hug. The others quickly gathered around, each sounding relieved to see Star.

After a few more seconds, the two Apple twins got up. "Ah'm mighty glad tah see ya Star. How'd y'all escape the Buffalo." Star scratched the back of his head, immediately telling her something was wrong.

"Actually. I didn't escape." He turned toward a small rock off to the side of the road, and smiled. "Okay. You can come out now." Little Strongheart jumped out from behind the rock, shocking the other ponies. The little buffalo waved and smiled sheepishly.

"Greetings."

AppleJack gave her brother a look that demanded an explanation. He did so, explaining almost every detail of his time in the buffalo camp. By the time he was done, all seven ponies in the group looked at each other in silent agreement.

"Ah'm sorry bout what's happenin' with tha land and stuff." Braeburn said. "But-"

"Now hold one apple pickin' minute!" AJ cut in. "Ah understand the importance of tradition, but the settler ponies need those trees tah have food."

Star frowned, why he didn't see this coming, he'll never know. "AJ, those trees have to go. They can be re-planted somewhere else."

"Where? It's the only good soil 'round these parts!" Okay, Star was willing to admit that. But those trees had to go. Pinkie Pie jumped in.

"Wait! I have an idea…"

A little while later, the town was preparing for war. Barricades were set up around the town itself as residents prepared hundreds of pies for defense. Watching Appleloosa become a fortress, Star sighed, and facehoofed.

"Really, Pinkie? You thought a really crummy song would save the day?" He glared at the pink pony, who only shrugged in response. "I'm going to try one more time to get the Chief to listen to me. You girls try and do the same for the town." With that, he ran off up the road, away from the town. Once clear, he transformed into Phantom, and flew off toward the Buffalo camp.

"Chief, you can't destroy the town!" Star exclaimed.

"Then what shall you have me do, Star Phantom?" Chief Thunderhooves asked with a voice of defeat. "Our land is gone. They refuse to give it back. I must do what is best for my people. I am truly sorry, Great One." The Chief looked at the halfa in pity as he turned away. The massive buffalo sighed.

"I have given them until noon tomorrow, if they do not remove the trees from our trail by then…" He trailed off ominously, Star knew exactly what was going to happen. He stood up and flew off into the night, leaving the Buffalo to their preparations.

He followed the trail toward the town, studying it with a vigor. Soon enough, he was flying over the orchard. "Wait a minute." The halfa flew down and landed in the middle of the orchard. He bent over and studied the ground with a growing interest. He could see a small indent that marked the trail leading through the orchard. Star then stood up, and looked around. There was still a good mile and a half of trees on either side, which meant there were more than enough trees to feed the town.

A look of determination grew on his face, and his hooves lit up with their toxic green ecto energy.

* * *

The sun rose above the horizon, a bright orange glow covered the barren desert landscape. While a normal sunrise would mean another day of hardwork and fun for the rest of Equestria, Appleloosa was the exception. As the sun rose over the small town, the residents ducked behind their makeshift fortifications and waited. Twilight and her friends watched with fear as the clock ticked closer to noon.

The hands were just inches away when the Buffalo appeared on the ridgeline above. The massive herd stood dominantly over the outnumbered pony settlers. Silence reigned over the town, the tension was thick, to say the least.

The clock struck 12, and the bell tolled 1.

The ponies readied their pies. 2.

The Buffalo lowered their heads to attack. 3.

Braeburn gulped as sweat poured down his head. 4.

The doors and windows were shut. 5.

Twilight and her friends watched anxiously. 6.

Strong Heart looked at her hooves in regret. 7.

Silver Star glared at the herd above. 8.

Chief Thunderhooves looked over the town, then to the Orchard, where the trees still stood. 9.

Sweat poured down the heads of everyone present. 10.

AppleJack desperately looked around for her brother, noticing his absence. 11.

As the final bell tolled, the two sides readies themselves for combat. 12.

Silence returned to the landscape. Thunderhooves prepared himself to give the order, but a hoof pressed against his cheek stopped him. The look of pleading from Strong Heart's eyes put his mind into turmoil. Why was doing this? Why attack these ponies? What would come of this?

_**You Gotta Sha~re, You Gotta Ca~re! It's the Right Thing to do!**_ Pinkie sang, using the same outfit as the first time. The Chief's anger returned tenfold. And the order came.

"_**Charge!"**_

The Herd had been unleashed. They charged down the hillside, their war cries shrill and loud.

"Ready." The ponies grabbed their pies.

"Aim." The Buffalo Stampede drew closer.

"Fire!" The pies were thrown, only a few actually hitting home. This did little to stop the stampede as they barged through the first line of fortifications. The ponies charged in, the Battle of Appleloosa began.

In the Apple Orchard, Star Phantom was blasting away at the trees along the trail, either uprooting them or disintegrating them. There were only five rows left when the ground began to shake. His eyes widened when he realized what that meant.

"Oh no. I'm too late." The halfa shot into the air, his back legs forming a tail to gain extra speed.

Star quickly arrived at the carnage that was Appleloosa. Ponies and Buffalo were clashing in semi-ridiculous duels. Apple pies flew through the air, most missing their target. He had to dodge one that was way off course.

He quickly realized that the Buffalo and Settlers were no longer willing to stop until either side won. He watched as Thunderhooves glared at Silver Star, lowering his head, and brandishing his horns. The halfa acted fast, and dove for a pie cart. He grabbed one of the pies and aimed.

"Hope my pies throwing skills haven't gotten rusty." He flung the pie across the town. Thunderhooves prepared for impact against Silver Star's hay bale position, but it never happened, as a random pie slammed into his face. This knocked him off balance, sending the mighty Buffalo tumbling to the ground.

Everyone stopped as they witness the Chief tumble, and not get up. Tears formed in the eyes of them all, as the ponies saluted a worthy adversary. Star flew down and stood in front of them, a determined look on his face.

"This has to stop." He turned around, another pie in hoof, and placed it in front of the Chief. His nose twitched, and the Buffalo swallowed the pie with glee.

"Yum." Star smiled and turned back to the crowd.

"I have a better idea."

* * *

Not long after, the Appleloosans were hard at work, chopping down the remaining trees along the trail. Once clear, the Buffalo ran through the Orchard along the trail, shaking the ground as they passed. The shaking caused the apples to fall from their branches, and be collected by the ponies.

Star Phantom, Chief Thunderhooves, and Sheriff Silver Star, watched the process from a nearby hilltop.

"And there you go." Star said, gesturing to the orchard. "Appleloosa gets to keep their trees, and in exchange, the Buffalo have their trail."

Thunderhooves nodded. "And do not forget to share some of those delicious apple pies."

Silver Star chuckled. "No problem there, partner." He then turned to Star. "Thanks Inviso-Bill. We couldn't have done it without ya."

Star sighed. "You can thank me by calling me Star Phantom." All three laughed.

Star Phantom and Silver Star shook hooves. "If ya ever find yourself in a bad way, just call us Appleloosans in."

"The Buffalo Tribes shall answer you call as well, Sir Phantom."

Star rubbed the back of his neck with embarrassment. "You guys don't have to do that, but thanks." With that, he took off and flew into the sunset, unaware of the two mares watching him with suspicion.

Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle glared the stallion, pondering what his plan was.

**Author's Note: **

**Ooh, Potential Storyline. I wonder what will become of this new development?**


	17. Chapter 17: A Phantom Story

The sun began to go down over the town of Ponyville. In the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, Star Apple was hard at work, bucking apples to fill the day's quota. The work would've went by faster is AppleJack didn't leave to have that meet up with the girls.

She could've at least finished this section before leaving. Would've made my day a lot easier. Star thought as he bucked another tree. The apples fell with ease into the massive buckets that surrounded the tree. Star quickly picked them up, and carried them to the barn.

If there was one place Star hated to be in, it was the barn. It wasn't that something too bad happened in here, just the most life changing moment of his life.

_All he could see was toxic green. Pain soured through his body as he let out a blood curdling scream._

Star blinked away the memory, then lowered the apple buckets to the floor, replacing them with empty ones. He looked back at the barn one last time, before walking back toward the orchard.

****Star Phantom in:****

****A Phantom Story****

**Story Time!**

Night blanketed Ponyville, signaling the end of another day's work. Inside the house, Star was helping AppleJack clean the dishes.

"So, how was the get together?" He asked.

"It went pretty well." AJ said, a smile on her face. "Found out somethin' pretty interestin' today." Star raised an eyebrow. "Turns out that rainbow ah saw as a filly that pointed home? That was from Rainbow's Sonic Rainboom!"

The halfa whipped his head in surprise at the news. "Wait. Really?!"

AJ nodded. "Eeyup. That Rainboom not only helped me get mah cutie mark, but also Twilight's, Rarity's, Pinkie Pie's, and Fluttershy's marks too!"

Star smiled. "Wow. Only you six would have a connected Cutie Mark moment." AJ blushed and smiled sheepishly. "Seriously. You girls have a bond. One that I'm glad you have."

"Yeah. Ah just wish two of mah friends weren't tryin' tah hunt mah twin's alter ego." The orange mare quickly shoved a hoof into her mouth. But it was too late. She expected a lot of things to happen when she said that. One of them was not for her twin to start laughing as if he just watched a Pinkie Stunt.

"True. That'll cause some crazy moments."

AppleJack was surprised. How could her brother treat that fact like a small inconvenience, rather than the problem it was. Two of her best friends, one of them being the personal student of Celestia, were hunting her brother. Proclaiming him a menace despite the fact that he puts his half-life on the line to keep them safe from the other ghosts.

"Star." She said sadly. "Are ya alright?"

Her twin looked at her confused. "Yeah, why?"

"Cause yur brushin' this off like it's nothin', when it's anything but!"

"What? Twilight and Rainbow hunting me? The GIW constantly hounding me? The fact that I'm actually a prophesied savior of worlds?! How am I supposed to treat this AppleJack?!" Star shouted. AJ took a step back. Star only used her full name when he was angry, or stressed, and she did not want to be too close when that happened.

Star's eyes widened when he realized what just happened, and looked back down at the dishes. "I'm sorry, Sis. But it's just too much to handle, and I'm trying my best to keep up, but…" He paused. "There are just so many days where I wish I never picked up that book."

"What book?" Both ponies snapped their heads toward the voice, seeing AppleBloom standing in the doorway. The young filly looked tired.

"AppleBloom." AJ said, using her stern voice. "You should be in bed, young filly."

"Ah would be if ah didn't hear ya shoutin' from mah room?" The little filly retorted. Star and AJ blushed, embarrassed that they were called out by their little sister. "Now, what book?" She asked again.

The twins looked at each other, and nodded. AJ went back to cleaning the dishes, and Star sat down at the table, gesturing for AppleBloom to do the same. Once she was comfortable, Star began.

"Well, it has to do with my… other self."

This woke AppleBloom right up, her eyes fully opening, and her brain going into overdrive.

"It was about a year ago, now. I was out getting you school books for the year."

* * *

StarShine Apple was walking through the streets of Ponyville, saddlebag on his back, and list in hoof. He approached the Ponyville Library, and opened the door. The Library didn't have an official dedicated Librarian yet, so there were volunteers from the Mayor's Office that would do it.

Obviously, one went out and forgot to lock up. Star closed the door behind him, then looked at the list. He needed to grab a math book, some Equish literature, a science textbook, and a history book. Great, nothing too fancy or out there.

"Great. Now where to start." He looked around until his eyes landed on a large section marked "School Books." The stallion rolled his eyes, and walked over to grab the books. It didn't take long to find them, so he packed them away, and signed them out on the book list that was left by the center table.

Star was about to leave, when he felt something strange in the air. It felt unnerving, sinister, and cold. He looked around, when something slammed behind him. He whipped around, not seeing anypony.

"Who's there?" Star called. "Show yourself!" He looked down and saw a strange, black book on the ground. Star mentally kicked himself, getting spooked by a falling book. He picked it up, and was about to put it back, when a sudden sense of curiosity overtook him. He opened the book to a random page, and read something that would change his life forever.

The Soul Retrievement Spell.

Star carefully read the page, quickly examining it to see if it was real, and indeed, it was. The door opening behind him, snapped him out of his reading, as the volunteer librarian came in. Star quickly hid the book in his saddlebag, and turned around.

"Oh, hey Amethyst." He said with a strained smile. The light purple unicorn mare smiled.

"Hey Star. Checking out books?"

"Oh yeah. For my sister, she's starting school next week."

The mare's eyes and smile widened. "Oh that's great! Do you need help finding anything?"

"Uh… nope. All set." Star quickly explained. "And I also already signed for them. Bits are on the desk." He made his way to the door. "Sorry to be rude, but I need to get back to the farm. Lotta work to do."

"Of course, no problem. Have a good day, Star." Amethyst called out.

"You too!" And with that, Star left, with the mysterious book kept tightly in his bag.

* * *

"So ya stole a book?!" AppleBloom asked. Star rubbed the back of his head in shame.

"Y-yeah. I don't know what came over me." He said honestly. "And something told me that book didn't really belong in a library in Ponyville."

* * *

Star returned to the house, and gave AppleBloom her books. He kept the black book hidden in the saddlebag, and waited until he was alone in his room to read it again.

He opened it back up to the page, and began reading.

_The Soul Retrieval Spell is not as complicated as most would think, as even an earth pony could do it. However, caution must be taken. For it could lead to disaster if not done right. _

_This spell can be used to bring back loved ones, either as spirits, or as a living creature once more. _

_The materials that must be obtained for this ritual are as follows:_

_A piece of chalk_

_Something living, including plants, in order for there to be energy. _

_A place of memory for the desired spirit._

_The willingness_

Star couldn't believe it. There was a spell that could bring back anypony, even his parents! He had to do this! He needed to see them again, bring them back to make everything better. Life hadn't been the same since Ma and Pa were killed by Timberwolves. This could fix it all!

Star looked through the book, learning everything he could to make the spell work.

About a week later, Star was reading up in the barn's rafters. The barn was his favorite place to be. It held a lot of fond memories for him in here, especially from when he was colt playing with his twin sister, and parents. He frowned, and looked longingly at the photo of his Ma and Pa that he had next to the book. He read the book front to back, learning the different symbols that were required, gathering the materials he needed, and preparing the barn for it. All he needed was a day to do the ritual, and he could bring them back. The family could be whole again

"Star?!" He closed the book, and got up, burying it in the hay. He looked down to see AppleJack looking for him.

"Hey Sis, what's up?"

"Granny's takin' AppleBloom to Twist's house fur a while, and Big Mac and ah need tah take some apples to the Cakes." She explained. "Could ya stay here and keep an eye on things 'til then?"

"Sure, no problem at all." Star was screaming internally with excitement. This was it. He could do the ritual today, and surprise them when they all got back.

He waited until they were all gone before he began.

The ritual was all set. The circle was complete, symbols drawn. Various plants were laid before him, all kept alive in their pots, and placed on each symbol.

With everything ready, Star got down on his knees, and placed his front hooves on the edge of the circle. Nothing happened. Star waited and waited, but the circle did nothing. No glow, no spirits, just nothing. What was he doing wrong?! Why wouldn't it work?! Star thought for a moment, when he realized something. The book said he needed the willingness to do it.

"I'm willing." He said, his voice filled with determination. That's when it happened. The circle began to glow an eerie toxic green glow. The wind began to pick up, and the sun seemed to go out. A smile formed on Star's face.

Outside, on the road leading up to the Acres, AppleJack and Big Mac were trotting back, attached to the now empty cart. AJ suddenly stopped and shivered. Big Mac stopped a second later, and turned toward her with worry.

"AJ, what's wrong?"

"Ah… ah don't know. Ah just feel so… cold." Her eyes widened. "Star." The mare suddenly took off running, surprising her older brother. He quickly unhitched the wagon, and gave chase.

The glow intensified, forcing Star to back away and cover his eyes. The wind was now howling, blowing his mane and tail in every direction. Then, it calmed down, leaving a soft glow around the circle. The floor beneath it was gone, replaced with only a swirling green pool. Star slowly stepped toward it, never taking his eyes off of the supernatural sight. It was strangely attractive, an alluring sight. It didn't stay that way for long.

A toxic green tendril shot up from the pool, surprising Star. He didn't have time to react as the tendril grabbed his hoof, and started dragging him toward the portal. He screamed in pure terror as he tried desperately to get away.

"Help!" He cried, as the tendril began to wrap around his whole body. He could feel the energy entering through his skin, making him lose touch with his senses.

The barn door was kicked open, and in came AppleJack and Big Macintosh. They stared at the scene in horror, frozen in their place.

Star tried to think about what to do, when he remembered something.

"The book!" He shouted. "Close the book!" His hooves were touching the pool now, it felt like ice in the Frozen North was latching itself to his fur.

AJ immediately ran over to the opened black book, and slammed it shut.

There was flash, and a scream of agony. Star felt like his nerves were on fire, then frozen, then burned again in an even hotter blaze. His vision went white, and he knew no more.

It felt like an instant when he awoke in the barn. The first thing he saw were his two siblings staring at him in shock and fear. He understood why. They just saw their brother doing dark magic, and he almost got killed for it.

"S-Star." AJ said slowly. "I-I-I-Is that… you?" Of course it was him, why wouldn't it be?

The stallion started to stand, when he saw his leg. He grew up with the image that his fur was always white, like snow. But there was something wrong. The fur on his leg was midnight black! Star's eyes shot fully open, and he rushed to a mirror.

Instead of a stallion with snow white fur, midnight black mane, and normal blue eyes, he saw a stallion with midnight black fur, snow white hair, and glowing green eyes.

"W-what?" He asked, his voice having a slight echo. "How? What?" He looked at his siblings, sharing their fearful expressions. "No. I… I can't be…"

"Star." His twin said softly. "It'll be ok."

Be ok? How?! He was dead! The spell killed him! How could he be so stupid?! Messing around with dark magic! He lucky he was the only one killed! What if it killed AJ, or Big Mac, or Granny, or even AppleBloom?! How could he live with himself if anything bad happened to them?!

This couldn't be happening! Why?! Why did he have to die?!

"Kids!" Echoed the voice of Granny Smith. "Get the soup on!"

No no no! She couldn't find out about this! Her heart wouldn't take it!

He needed to find a way back. To become StarShine Apple again!

A flash of light blinded them, and when they could see again. Star Apple stood before them. They all stared at each other in shock and awe.

"What. Just happened?" Big Mac asked, finally finding his voice.

"I… I don't know." Star answered. He figure it out, right after he got rid of the book. He turned to grab it, only to find it gone. All three siblings looked at each other, and promised to never speak of this incident until they were alone again.

Over the course of the rest of the week, strange things began to happen. Star would find himself falling through his bed, and dropping things, no matter how hard he gripped them. His strength grew tenfold, demolishing entire trees if he wasn't careful. He would eat less, felt colder when touched, and would find that he didn't need to breathe as much. Then there was the fact that the book was gone, no trace left behind.

Star would find himself transforming into that alter ego of his at random times, thankfully when no pony else was looking, and he could fly. Whatever that book did to him, he had to learn how to control it.

It was later in the evening when it happened. Star was on his way back to the house, when a loud scream filled the air. He immediately ran to its origin, the acre closest to the Everfree Forest.

There, he saw AppleJack being surrounded by a pack of timberwolves. Their glowing green eyes glared at their soon to be meal, who was backing up into a nearby tree. Star knew he had to do something, when an idea formed in his head.

He charged down toward them, and thought about his alter ego. He felt energy sour through him, and a huge grin formed on his face as his eyes glowed green.

"Hey! Sticks for brains!" The Timberwolves look over to see another pony appear from the trees, this one glowing with a strange aura. He gave a posture they recognized as one an attacker does with their prey. The pack turned their attention to this new prey, but the leader yipped a word of caution. This pony did not have a normal pony smell, it smelled like death.

The pack ignored the warning, and charged at the earth pony. AppleJack watched in horror, thinking that Star completely lost his mind! He just stood there with a smirk as the pack came closer, then at the last second, he took off into the air. The action caught the timberwolves off guard, giving him a chance to grab one of them and throw it high into the air.

The halfa then punched another one, shattering it to splinters. The timberwolves shook off their shock, and went in for the kill. Star simply dodged their attacks, throwing in kicks and punches, with some thrown objects in between. The leader watched in awe as his pack was being annihilated. He quickly realized he could not beat this Pony of Death. She he turned his eyes to his original prey. The orange one who was distracted with the carnage. He would be an easy kill. One that would keep him fed for a week.

Star kicked away another timberwolf, watching its body explode into dozens of splinters. It was 9ut of the corner of his eye that he caught something, a timberwolf approaching his sister, and the mare not noticing it. His eyes widened, and he tried to rush over, but two more wolves blocked his way. The leader was about to pounce, he didn't have time to fight these two.

His mind went into overdrive, trying to think of a way to attack the wolf from his spot. But nothing came to mind. He was starting to get angry. What's the point of Ghost Powers if you can't do anything useful with them?!

He felt his hoof get hot, surprising him. He looked at it to see a toxic green glow surrounding it. The two timberwolves backed up slightly, obviously intimidated by the action. Star smirked, and aimed his hoof at the leader. He then left instinct take over, and a green laser blast left his hoof, striking home in the Tikberwolf's head. The wolf disintegrated into ashes, which proved to be the final straw, as the surviving wolves ran back into the forest.

When the two realized it was over, Star and AJ gave a quick back breaking hug, and ran for house, with Star transforming back into Apple Form.

* * *

"And after that, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to use these powers for. It was after the fight with the timberwolves, and the sudden sightings of ghosts around town that I made up my mind." Star explained. "I decided to protect my town. It was my fault that the ghosts were showing up, since me using that book probably reopened the portal in the Everfree."

AJ and AppleBloom were in awe, neither of them spoke as their voices were long gone. After a few moments of awkward silence, Star stood up. "Alright, now, I think you need to get to bed young filly."

AppleBloom blinked, and groaned as her mind caught up with her. "Do ah have to?"

"Eeyup." Star said, popping the 'p' with a smile. He watched his little sister get out of her seat, and trot back up the stairs. The stallion waited for the door to shut before turning back to his twin.

"Well, guess we should get some sleep too."

AppleJack blinked, then smiled. "Yeah. Ah guess." The two started walking, when she spoke again. "And Star." The earth pony in question stopped, and turned to face her. "Ah just wanna say I'm sorry." Star raised an eyebrow.

"About worryin' so much. Not bein' as positive and supportive as ah should be-"

"Stop." Star said suddenly, surprising her. "AJ, if you weren't worried, I would be. If I didn't have you, Big Mac, AppleBloom, Zecora, and Luna. I don't know where I'd be. To have family and friends who support me is more than I could ever hope for."

"Whatever comes our way." He said with a confident grin. "We'll get through it." Tho two smiled, and gave the same back breaking hug they gave each other they did after the timberwolf fight. "Now let's get to bed. I'm plumb tuckered out." The two went to their rooms, unaware of the hooded figure watching them from a portal window.

The figure smiled and closed the portal, then pulled the black book out of his purple cloak. "All is as it should be."

**Author's Note: **

**And now we get the origins of Star Phantom. Hope y'all enjoyed another chapter, as there are now only two to go for this season.**


	18. Star Phantom Shorts

****Author's Note:****

Warning

The following story is a set piece of really strange shorts that may or may not be canon depending on their insanity. It was also written at 2 O'Clock in the morning and contains foul language that may be harmful to some snowfla- I mean loving viewers. The author asks that you don't take anything personally, after all, it's April Fools Day. Enjoy

Star Phantom and General Jo stood on top of a massive cannon. BlueBlood was inside the barrel, tied up and gagged.

"Hi, I'm Star Phantom!"

"And I'm General Jo!"

"And Welcome to Star Phantom Shorts!"

The cannon fires, sending BlueBlood flying through the air, where he found a landing spot in the nearby pool.

"April Fools, Mother-" Jo never got to finish his sentence as a giant censor bar slammed into his face.

****Break****

_**Star Phantom vs. A Tree**_

**Fight! **

Star bucked the tree, but the tree didn't react. Star tried again, getting the same result. Star tried to use his powers to knock the tree down. But the tree stood strong. Star fired an ecto-blast, but the tree didn't flinch. Star then decided to use his super strength to lift the tree up, roots and all.

An apple fell, hitting Star on the head, knocking him out.

**K.O. **

_**The Tree Wins! **_

****Break****

It was simple. That's the only way Star could describe it. It had started out as a calming evening. A simple patrol, which lead to a very simple beating of the Box Ghost. A simple capture. A simple fly over the Everfree to dump Boxy back inside the Realm.

Boy how he wished it wasn't simple. As he neared the edge of town, the Blue Huntress pounced. She used her hoverboard, and a brand new scope for her blaster rifle, to ambush him. This lead to him diving toward the ground, and into the trees.

This did little to deter the Huntress, as she simply blasted her way through the branches and vines that the Everfree proudly grew. The Everfree would not take the pain, without giving it back. Star understood this, as he had trained many times in this forest. He knew it, and it knew him.

He left the trees and plants alone, using simple intangibility to go through them, or simply flying around them. The forest seemed grateful, as it ignored him in favor of the Huntress. That didn't stop her from landing a solid hit on his back. The blast impacted near his neck, sending violent spouts of pain up his spine.

The hafla slammed into the ground, leaving a trench along his path. He laid there, face down in the mud, as he waited for the Huntress to finish him off. The forest did not allow this. Instead, it protected him, attacking the pegasus until she was forced to pull up above the treeline, where she lost sight of her prey. With a growl, she flew home, a few scratches on her fur, but otherwise unharmed.

After minutes of silence, Star slowly stood. The pain was beyond excruciating, but he had to soldier on. He flew off toward the portal, and dumped his catch of the night before heading home.

It was simple. A simple patrol. A simple fight with a simple ghost. A simple catch, and later release. And finally, a simple chase, with a simple injury.

This was his new simple, and he grew tiresome of simple. Simple was becoming a nuisance.

****Break ****

Luna stood on the balcony, the moon rising above the horizon as the sun lowered. It had finally become routine again, raising and lowering the moon. So routine that when something odd happened, it almost completely threw her off.

A black and white blur slammed into the castle wall, leaving a cartoonishly pony shaped hole behind. It didn't take a degree in science to know what that was. Luna immediately flew through the hole, and saw the pony she unexpectedly expected. Star Phantom, bruised and battered on the floor, covered in stone dust and debris. His body was so still, that the only indication that he was alive was the soft groaning coming from his mouth.

Luna used her magic to remove the debris, then lifted Star into the air. She then teleported to her chambers, just as the Guards in White agents flew in. They searched around the room, their scanners reporting nothing supernatural in the room.

"Premises Clear, no sign of target." Agent M announced.

"Confirmed, Agent M." Agent A responded. With that, the two agents left, none the wiser to the true whereabouts of their target.

(Insertanexpensivelyoverdonetransitionthatisn'treallyanimportantpartofthestory)

Star awoke with a moan, enjoying the softness that was his bed.

Wait, my bed is never this soft. His eyes opened wide as he shot up from the bed, looking around in every direction. The room gave off a soft vibe of elegance, and a strangely attractive nightly atmosphere. There was only one pony he knew who would have a room like this.

And she just walked out of what he assumed was the bathroom, wrapped in a towel as steam blanketed the floor. Her fur seemed disheveled, but the calmness on her face indicated that she was not panicking, a good sign. The mare noticed his staring, and gave a smile that did lead to family friendly content.

"Well, look at who's awoken." She said teasingly. "I must say, you were a hoofful."

_What._

"It took me most of the night to properly finish, and mercy help the maids when they have to clean the sheets."

_What?_

"Not to mention how much of you I had to clean off. You were no easy stallion, StarShine Phantom."

_What?!_

The princess giggled at the look of horror on Star's face, knowing full well the implications of her words. "But I can safely say your injuries were patched up nicely, and should heal within a few hours. Thanks to your advanced healing ability."

Star blinked. _Oh… Oh! _

Luna added a smug look to her face as Star realized what she meant, enjoying his embarrassment.

"Well… thanks, Luna. I owe ya one."

"Tis nothing between friends Star." The two smiled. "Now, care for some tea? The GIW are still around, so I wouldn't recommend trying to leave yet."

Star nodded. "Right. Sure, please. Some tea sounds great right now."

****Break ****

Star spat out his drink at the story AppleJack just told him. "She seriously thought that we were-"

"Eeyup." His twin gagged, remembering just how sure Twilight sounded when she made the claim. As if she would do such a thing as deplorable as dating her brother. What kind of sick, twisted pony would like that kind of thing.

_**In Another Story… **_

Star and AppleJack's lips made contact as they floated above the town of Ponyville, in full view of the town ponies.

"Oh Star Phantom. Ya make me the happiest mare alive, please marry me!"

"Oh AppleJack. I would gladly." And the two were wed and had several half ghost babies. Luna found love in Ghost Blood, and-

Clockwork slammed the door shut on that universe, then locked it, then dug a hole, put the key in the hole, and built a home on top of the hole.

He shuddered at the thought that a disgusting universe like that could exist.

****Break ****

NovaBright Apple awoke with a start, she had a nightmare where everypony was the opposite gender. Eek, it was hard to swallow an image of her twin brother being a mare.

I mean, could you imagine a world where she, NovaBright Apple, aka Nova Phantom, was a stallion. Like, ew!

It was almost as bad as the time she imagined herself being some weird ape like thing wearing clothes, and she lived in the future.

She had some seriously messed up dreams.

****Break ****

It was Poetry Night in the Spirit Realm. All of the spirits and ghosts that reside inside were in attendance. The first one up on stage, was none other than the Box Ghost.

He cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the audience.

Roses are Red  
Violets are Blue…

I AM THE BOX GHOST!  
PREPARE TO MEET YOUR DOOM!

He gave a short bow and said "Thank You." Then walked off the stage.

****Break ****

And now it's time for Hunting Tips with Skulker.

"Remember Hunters. Always keep an a firm grip around the neck of your prey, cause if you don't, they can still breathe, and if they can breathe, they fight like the devil."

This has been, Hunting Tips with Skulker.

_Break _

He's a Phantom. He's a Phantom. (StarShine Phantom)

_My Little Pony, My Little Pony. Ah ah ah ah- _

A colt's whose life has changed. Molecules rearranged. Ghosts are so deranged.

_I used to wonder what friendship could be. (My Little Pony) Until you all shared it's magic with me. _

Spirits don't stand a chance. Senses all enhanced. Powers so advanced.

_Big Adventure. Tons of Fun. A Beautiful Heart. Faithful and Strong. Sharing Kindness. It's an easy feat. And Magic Makes it All Complete. _

Unleashing all the freaks, onto his hometown streets. Tell everyone you meet. Flying through the walls. You can't see him at all. If they are big, or small, or tall.

_Do you know you're all my very best frie~nds!" _

He's Gonna Catch 'em All cause he's StarShine Phantom. Gonna Catch 'em All cause he's StarShine Phantom.

Gonna Catch 'em All cause he's StarShine Phantom.

****Break****

I loved her. I obsessed over her. For years, Galatea had been the apple of my eye. Then Gear Head got in the way. He and I were friends long before we met her, he was an oaf, yet the two seemed to click instantly.

I grew jealous of their relationship, I hated watching them be together with every fiber of my being. I wanted Gear dead.

So I had it arranged. Gear would die in a horrible lab accident, and I would step in to fill the void in Galatea's heart.

Except it didn't turn out that way. She surprised him in the lab that day. She wanted to help him finish his latest project. A window to the other side. A spirit portal that allowed for viewing with no way for anything dead or alive to pass through.

The portal that I rigged to explode. There was nothing left to recover. Any hopes of survivors were vaporized in the largest explosion Equestria had ever seen.

In my grief, I went through Galatea's belongings. Stuff she left to him.

It was there that I stumbled upon a book. The book that contained a spell to bring back my love. I did everything necessary, and performed the ritual spell.

Galatea appeared before me, but not in the way I expected. She knew I was the one who killed her. I don't know how, but she knew. The mare I loved glared at me, hissed at me, then finally entered my body, intending to destroy my soul. I closed the book before she could fully possess me.

But I wasn't quick enough. When her spirit was destroyed, she left something in me.

It fills my veins as I write this, my last entry before it consumes me.  
The mare I loved, killed in the crossfire, and brought back from the dead, left her hatred in my heart.

But that hate has no target, no pony to lash out on. So now I'm beginning to hate every pony. I'm filled with the need to make others suffer. My rage has become unquenchable.

To any who reads this. Please. End the suffering I know I'm inflicting. Please, forgive this foolish stallion and grant him mercy.

****Break****

StarShine Apple awoke with a start as Granny Smith burst into the room.

"_**You Son of a Bitch!''**_ She shouted, her voice sounding strangely masculine as she did. Star flinched back as she shoved a plastic bag in his face.

It was a sandwich bag filled with oranges, and a pear.

****Break ****

Diamond Tiara stood perfectly still, becoming a statue. The reason was because Star Phantom used the Ghost Stare on her.

He turned to you and winked.

****Break****

Explosions and gunfire echoed across the barren battlefield. The once beautiful landscape has turned into a charred wasteland that now serves as the frontline between the Equestrian and Changeling Armies.

_"__All units, pull back to position Charlie immediately! A Nuke Launch has been reported nearby! I repeat, Plane in the Air!" _

The message repeated on the radio of the overturned jeep, but was ignored by the soldiers using it for cover. The three were pinned down by a changeling machine gun position on the hill above them. A stallion took aim with his submachine gun and fired a small burst. He quickly took cover before the enemy fired back.

"Dammit!" The mare next to him shouted as she clutched the wound of their third member. "We're going to die! I don't wanna die like this!"

"Quiet!" The stallion shouted. "We're not going to die. We'll be alright, okay?! Just think about how we're gonna get outta here!"

"And how to we do that, oh fearless leader?!" The stallion was stumped by that question. He didn't know. They couldn't clear away the machine gun position in time. It had view of the whole valley, so they couldn't just run and pray.

Oh Sweet Celestia, they were going to die.

A loud explosion broke him from his thoughts, he turned his head up to see the machine gun position smoking. His eyes moved up further, and the sight before him was awe inspiring.

Star Phantom, the poster colt of the Halfa Program, floating above them with his ecto gun still pointed at the position. A moment later, the halfa relaxed and looked down at the three.

They said nothing as the stallion landed before them, and stared at their wounded comrade. A few seconds of silence passed before he spoke again.

"You better hurry out. I'll keep the enemy distracted long enough for you to escape." He ordered. The stallion stepped forward.

"And how do we do that?" He pointed to the jeep. "Jeep's flipped, and we can't run!"

Star blinked, then marched over to the jeep. He grabbed it with his hooves, and lifted it up. The soldiers watched in awe as Star Phantom lifted the jeep into the air, and stand it upright on it's wheels. The halfa patted the metal plating as he turned to face the group.

"Now get moving. That nuke is almost here." They didn't waste anytime, helping their wounded comrade into the passenger seat while the mare climbed into the back.

The mare was about to thank him, but the halfa was gone. No doubt he was off fighting the changelings, buying time for them to escape. They drove off, watching as the nuke went off miles into the air. It never hit the ground, for something, or somepony, intercepted the plane that was carrying it.

****Break****

"Hey BlueBlood."

BlueBlood ignored the stallion, choosing instead to eat his cereal.

"Since you're eating fruitloops, does that make you a cannibal?"

BlueBlood spat out his food in shock as Star Phantom hunched over laughing. A vein popped in the unicorn's forehead before he transformed and shouted _"I'm going to r*** you!" _

Star screamed in fright, and took off into the air.

_"__Don't you f***ing run away from me!" _

****Break****

In the Everfree Forest, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and Twilight was placing signs on everything that proclaimed it Ghost Hunting Season!

She laughed maniacally as the last sign was placed, and just in time, as an earth pony stallion appeared from thin air, blaster in hoof.

"Ah, good. Great timing. Ready for Ghost Season?" The unicorn asked innocently. The stallion nodded enthusiastically.

"Perfect, now the rules are-"

"Hold it right there!" From the trees above, appeared Star Phantom, a Ghost Season sign in his hoof. "What is this?!" He demanded, gesturing to the sign.

"It's a sign informing others that it's Ghost Season, Inviso-Bill." Twilight explained importantly. "Now shoo as I explain the ground rules."

"But it ain't Ghost Season. That's next week." Star pulled out another sign, this one reading Pony Season. "It's Pony Season."

"Ghost Season!" Twilight argued.

"Pony Season!" Star rebutted.

"Ghost Season!"

"Pony Season!"

"Ghost Season!"

"Ghost Season."

"Pony Season!"

"Ghost Season!" Star argued.

"Pony Season!" Twilight rebutted before facing the confused hunter. "Now fire!" The Hunter was confused, but obeyed. He aimed at Twilight and fired.

Twilight stood there, fur burnt to a crisp, glaring at the Halfa, who only floated there with a smug look on his face.

"You're despicable."

A circle appeared around Star as music began to play.

"Ababab-da Dat's All Folks!"


	19. Chapter 18: Ghost Prison Blues

Inside the Castle of the Two Sisters, Star Phantom was hovering through the halls. He was looking for something special, something he wanted to give to a friend. He found his way to a room near the center of the castle. The room looked untouched, well then again, it was left untouched. Dust covered everything, cobwebs snaked their way into every nook and cranny, and almost every bit of fabric was nearly chewed away. He landed carefully in the room, and looked around. Then checked inside the cabinets and closets, making sure he didn't damage anything.

"Not here. Not there. Where could it be?" He scratched his head vigorously, as if doing so would give him an answer.

"You can fight dragons, ghost dogs, hunters, and Nightmare Moon! Yet you can't find a simple gift for a friend." Star groaned. "Some friend Phantom." The halfa landed on the ground, then leaned against the wall. His self-berating was interrupted by a cold chill going up his spine, and a ghostly mist exiting his mouth. The halfa instantly got up, his hooves glowing with ecto energy. He had to be prepared for anything, whichever ghost that decided to attack him here must be dangerous.

"Yeha! I am the Box Ghost!" Oh come on. "And I shall begin my reign of terror with this!" He whipped out a box, (shocker, I know) presenting it to Star.

"A box… seriously?"

"Oh ho. Not just any box, my terrified friend, for it contains the most powerful object that Princess Luna ever possessed. Haha! With this, I shall rule the world!"

That got Star's attention. It couldn't be, but only his luck allowed the possibility. He had to risk it.

The halfa charged up his ecto-ray and fired at the Box Ghost. The blast sent him flying into the nearest wall, leaving a small impact crater. Star attempted to grab the box, but the Box Ghost managed to use his powers to snatch it up.

"If you dare assume you can touch the Box Ghost's Doomsday Box, then you are sorely mistaken!" He declared, followed by his usual "Beware!" The ghost quickly took off, an angry Star right behind him.

Star chased the Box Ghost around most of the Castle, flying through the halls, circling around the main throne room, avoiding decayed objects that were strewn all over the place, and, in the Box Ghost's case, slamming into almost every wall put in front of them. He eventually remembered that he could faze through them, and did so to escape his persuitor to the outside world.

Star stayed close behind, which wasn't really hard, and followed him down below the Castle, where the Portal to the Spirit Realm was kept. The Box Ghost dove right in, but Star halted just a few inches from the entrance.

Star only entered into the Spirit Realm once, and it wasn't very long. He had to ask himself, was the contents of that box worth it? Was he willing to risk half-life and limb for that box? Did he really hate the Box Ghost? The halfa took a deep breath. "Yes, I am, and I do." With that, he charged full speed into the swirling green mass that was, The Spirit Realm.

* * *

****Star Phantom in:****

****Ghost Prison Blues****

****Sentence: Forever!****

* * *

The chase was still on as the Box Ghost vainly attempted to escape the determined Star Phantom. Star lost track of how far he was into the Realm, but that wasn't important in his mind at the moment. The only thing that mattered was that box.

Back at Sweet Apple Acres, AJ and Big Mac were finishing up another row of apple trees. The orange mare looked toward the EverFree treeline with worry. Her big brother didn't have to look at her to see her worried expression.

"Star's gonna be fine, AJ," he said calmly, "He's probably just havin' a hard time findin' what he's looking for."

AppleJack sighed. "Ah know, Big Mac, but ah can't help it. Somethin' just feels…" Big Mac turned to look at her, an eyebrow raised in confusion. "Off."

The massive stallion nodded his head. "Okay, let's finish up this section and go check on him."

AppleJack smiled. "Thanks, big brother." With that, the two got back to work.

Star didn't know how long he chased the Box Ghost. He only knew that it was getting more annoying by the second. It didn't help that the lame ghost would not SHUT UP!

"Bla-ha! The Box Ghost! Will never shut up! For he is-" The universe seemed to have given the halfa a break, as the Box Ghost slammed into something large. Star quickly grabbed the box before it could float out into the swirling green void.

"Perfect, now I just need to-"

"Put your hooves where ah can see them punk." Star snapped his around, thinking that Big Mac was behind him for a second. Instead, it was a stallion in a white suit, and black fedora hat. He was flanked by several ponies dressed in police riot gear uniforms.

"Well well well. Guess the warning wasn't enough for you, was it punk?"

"Wait a minute," Star said, his eyes widening as he remembered. "Walker?"

"That's right punk." Walker said, glaring at the halfa. "Now put your hooves up, you're under arrest."

"For what?!"

"Fighting outside of a designated area, and second offense of Living World Contraband in the Spirit Realm." The ghost glared harder. "Do ah need tah add resisting arrest to the charges?"

Star's answer was an ecto-blast, which sent several officers flying back. "Guess so." Walker charged, surprising the halfa with a tackle. "Real shame too, to be arresting someone so young. But criminals always come in at any age." Star struggled against the ghost's monster grip, the present slowly floating out of his reach.

Walker noticed the present. "Officers, secure the contraband."

"No please. I need that present, it's too important!"

"Too bad punk. Ya already had your chance." Star's hooves were cuffed, and two more officers dragged him into the back of a cart, with a seat next to the Box Ghost.

The sun began to set over the Castle of the Two Sisters, a fact that made the two Apple Siblings more than nervous. Star has been gone for far longer than he said he would, and if there was one thing AppleJack and Big Mac knew, it was that he was always on time. They searched the whole castle, quickly arriving to the room Star wars searching.

"Golly, looks like a fight happened here alright." AJ noted.

"Eeyup." Big Mac pointed to the blast mark trail along the wall, leading out into the courtyard, and down to below the castle, where the portal to the Spirit Realm resided.

It didn't take much for them to realize what had happened. Star chased a ghost into the Realm, and was now lost inside. But not for long, AJ and Big Mac ran back toward Ponyville.

AJ slammed open the door, surprising Doctor Whooves. "Goodness me, AppleJack. Don't barge in like that!"

"Ah'm real sorry, Doc. But we got a he-uge problem!"

"Eeyup!"

"What could be the issue, my friends?" The Doc asked. The siblings looked at each other, a silent conversation took place within their stares. It made the earth pony a little uncomfortable. After a minute of staring, the two relented, and faced the Doctor.

"It's about Star, and… Inviso-Bill."

The Doctor's eyes widened, then narrowed. "Explain."

Star sat hoof-cuffed in the back of a cart, pulled by two other ghost prisoners, and three armed guards. In the cart, sharing the situation, was the Box Ghost, and two other ghosts in cuffs. One was large and buff, while the other was somewhat scrawnier. His gaze shifted between the two of them, an uncomfortable silence as toxic as the ecto energy surrounding them.

It ended when the large one spoke. "So, what are a couple of scrawny spirits doing in the back of one of Walker's Carts?"

"I was declared a thief, apparently, I was stealing an apple that was in my own orchard." The scrawny one explained, anger deep within his voice. "I had no idea that the orchard had grown in Walker's Territory, none of my neighbors told me!" With a loud exhale, followed by a long inhale, the scrawny ghost calmed down. He then looked at Star.

"What's your story?"

Star shrugged. "I was trying to get a box taken by a certain ghost." He said, not so subtly pointing at the Box Ghost. "Then Walker showed up and filed a bunch of random charges on me."

"Ah, your fate is the same as many others, Halfa."

Any response Star had died in his throat at the mention. To find out that a random ghost knows the truth is a little frightening. How many other ghosts know about his status? Did any of them plan on going after his family?!

The ghost laughed at the expression on the halfa's face. "Yes, halfa. Most who live near your portal know of your existence, kind of hard not to when dozens of ghosts keep getting sent back through every week."

Oh, right. How could he argue with that? Not to mention more than few of ghosts could be blabber mouths, one of them sharing the cart with them.

"Hey!" A guard called out. "No talking!" The four prisoners silenced themselves, choosing instead to look at the massive prison structure ahead of them. It had massive gothic purple walls, barbed wire spanning the perimeter. A massive iron gate seemed to be the only way out. Guards patrolled every inch of the outside, no doubt more would be inside. The small convoy stopped, with more guards appearing. They held strange devices in their hooves, they would make a beeping noise every couple of seconds as they scanned the carts.

After a minute, or two, the guards gave an all clear, allowing the carts to enter Walker's Prison.

Doctor Hooves sat down, his face blank. AppleJack and Big Mac looked at each other in apprehension. They explained everything to the doctor. The incident with the book, Star's powers, the fact that they "borrowed" some inventions in order to fight the ghosts better, and then some. The only thing to do now was wait for what he had to say.

And he said, "Grab some of the borrowed blasters, the ecto-rope, and the thermos. Meet me at my workshop outside of town in ten minutes." What the two siblings did not expect. But they did as he asked, and ran back toward the Acres to grab the equipment.

Star Phantom was now sitting in a chair, dressed in black and white striped prison clothing, and wrapped in chains. A mere five feet away was the box that started this whole situation. It was just barely out of his reach, but that didn't stop him from trying. After several failed attempts, the halfa gave up.

"Look, Mr. walker, sir. I understand I messed up. But you gotta understand that-"

"The only thing ah need tah understand, Punk," The Ghost Warden interjected, "is that you wasted your chance at being a decent spirit, and not only that, you attacked officers of the Law." He leaned in close, filling the halfa's view. "So what you need to understand, is that ah take the Law very seriously within my territory. Ah do not negotiate with criminals. Once you commit a crime, ya gotta do the time."

He then pulled out an overfilled book, titled Da Rulez. "Which, according to the rules is…"

"One Thousand Years."

"One thousand years?!" Star exclaimed. "B-but… my family-"

"Should have raised you better, instead of the punk you are." If Star could fire ecto-rays from his eyes. He would have blown a hole right through Walker's head. No pony talked bad about his family.

"Guards!" Two of them opened the door, then came inside. "Escort our newest inmate to the Cafeteria." The grin on his face told Star just how much pain he's about to be in. "It's lunchtime."

* * *

AppleJack and Big Mac stood outside of a small shed on the edge of town. Sounds that could be heard on the other side of the door included: grunting, stuff falling, hammering, the occasional explosion, and a chicken. To say they were a little confused would be like saying Pinkie Pie was a little too excited, a complete and utter understatement.

The noise quieted down, and the door opened to reveal the Doctor covered in soot, with his tie wrapped around his forehead, and his mane streaking back. But his appearance didn't seem to reflect his mood, as he spoke in an all too happy tone, "Come in, come in. Please, right this way… and watch your step." The two siblings reluctantly entered the small shed.

At least, on the outside it was a small shed. Inside was not what the two expected. The floor suddenly jolted, and began sinking down. AJ looked over to see Doctor Hooves holding a lever in the down position. The elevator slowly descended to a much larger, more high tech looking basement. It had lab tables, equipment, and glasses filled with ectoplasm.

But the two big eye sores in the room were the large tarped object in the middle of the room, and the large gaping hole protected by glass and caution colors.

Once the elevator stopped, the Doctor stepped off and walked over to the tarp, the two siblings followed close behind.

"I present…" the stallion pulled on the tarp, sending it towards the ground, revealing a sleek, silver and green vehicle, complete with a cockpit and several cartoonishly large rocket engines. "The Ecto-Explorer 3000."

The Doctor began running around the vehicle in a manner of excitement that put Pinkie to shame. As he did, he listed all of the features.

"Powerful thrusters, anti-ecto weapons, scanner, radio transmitter, cushioned seats, four beds, a small cooker, and cup holders!"

So… yeah, a pretty advanced vehicle to say the least.

Aj and Big Mac looked at the vehicle in awe, to think the Doc could create this in his spare time, alongside all of the other stuff they've "borrowed" over the past few months, is incredible.

"Alright, load up the equipment, and let's get underway." The stallion was about to board the craft when AppleJack stopped him.

"Wait, how do ya know how tah find him?"

"Oh it's simple, my dear." Doctor Hooves walked past the mare, and went into the back. He opened a small locker, and pulled out…

"A… boomerang?" Big Mac asked, his normally intelligent brain completely lost in the purpose of the device.

"Yes, the Boooo-Merang." The Doc stated, stretching out the O in a spoo~ky way. "It can track any ecto-signature in the world, all I need is a target sample. Which reminds me…" He put the boomerang down, and stepped forward. "Do you have any form of sample, anything would do."

"But… ya never said we needed a sample." AJ explained, panic setting in.

"Oh, right." The Doc said in realization. He pondered, and pondered, until his ponderer was sore. Then he thought of something, he should have before. "That's it." He grabbed the thermos, and ran to a machine in the lab. He flipped a switch, activating a light. It was light blue, and revealed several hoof marks on the small container unit.

"Just as I thought. Star has hoofprints all over this. All I need is a swab, and I can obtain the ecto-taint on the thermos!" He pointed to a table covered in medical equipment. "Quick, grab a cotton swab from the table, and be careful not to touch the tips."

Big Mac obeyed, and grabbed a swab with a plastic wrapped hoof. He carefully brought it over and handed it to the Doctor, who swabbed the thermos with both cotton tips. AJ then brought over the Boooo-Merang, and allowed the stallion to insert the swab into the receiver end of the device.

"Perfect. Now, give it a few seconds to analyze the ecto-signature." The device beeps several times, once every second for the next ten seconds. Each beep put the two siblings on edge.

The beeping suddenly stopped, and a green check mark appeared on the small screen.

"Perfect, all set!" The three ran on board the Ecto-Explorer. Once sat, the window opened up. "Now," Doctor Hooves told the device, "find Star Phantom!" He threw the device toward the hole in the wall, which opened up to reveal a swirling green mass within. The Apple Siblings stared in shock. The Doc had built a working Spirit Portal, and not a soul knew about it. The boomerang disappeared into the mass.

"Now, let's follow that hilariously named device!" The Doctor pushed the thrusters all the way forward, sending the vehicle skyrocketing into the portal. After a bright flash, the swirling green void that was the Spirit Realm was revealed to them.

Star was marched into the large cafeteria, where hundreds of ghosts sat at long, bland tables. Any and all conversations ceased as he entered, all eyes fell on him. Eyes filled with hatred, anger, and hunger. The halfa audibly gulped when his eyes fell on a table containing some familiar faces.

The Box Ghost, Spectra, Desiree, Ember, and Skulker, in a shiny new suit of armor. He hunter stood up, and stomped over to the young stallion. He grinned maliciously.

"Well hello, Ghost Colt."

He gripped the halfa's throat, and squeezed. Star squirmed in his grasp, gasping for air. The guards simply stood there and watched. Star swore he could see small grins on their faces.

"Welcome to your new home, or should I say," he pulled him close, "your new Tartarus."

AppleJack and Big Mac stared in awe at the 'landscape' before them. Floating islands of purple hues patterned against a toxic green backdrop. It looked like a gothic painting come to life. As they stared, Doctor Hooves kept his eyes on the Boooo-Merang, following it to the location of one Star Phantom.

The device bobbed and weaved between islands, doors, ghosts, and whatever else was floating around inside this swirling mass of energy. The Doctor found it hard to keep up, but he was confident in his piloting skills getting the job done.

The gigantic, black and purple, angry dragon on the other hoof was going to be an issue. It slammed into the side of their vehicle, and roared loudly, sewing green fire from its throat.

Star slammed hard onto the table. The other prisoners watched with glee as the halfa was being demolished by Skulker. He groaned as the pain spread throughout his body. The ghost hunter stood over him, grinning in victory. "It's payback time, Ghost Child." Star was picked up by the scruff of his fur, and pulled high above the gathering crowd of prisoners. The griffon prepared an armored fist for a heavy knock-out blow. Star had to think fast, and he did.

The fist came flying. "Stop!" The stallion placed his hooves in front of him, in case the request was denied. He waited until he realized that it did, as its owner looked at him expectantly.

With a deep breath, Star enacted his plan. "Okay, I admit it. I threw you all back into the realm." Groans and growls were the sounds of agreement from the crowd. "But, I'm not the one who threw you in here." Star pointed at the walls that surrounded them. He felt his hooves touch the floor, and the claw grappling his fur retracted.

"Go on." Skulker demanded.

"It wasn't me that came up with stupid rules to get ponies locked up, it was all Walker." The halfa paused as he could see prisoners talking, whispering to each other, nodding heads in agreement. "I have a plan that can get us out of there, but we need to work together."

Dead silence followed. All eyes turned to Skulker, as he stared blankly at the Ghost Colt before him. Star gulped nervously, sweat thankfully hidden by the color of his fur. Skulker then raised his fisted claw, Star was prepared for a fight, but the claw opened an invitation. Star accepted, putting hoof in claw, and shook.

"Now here's what we need to do."

The three ponies recoiled as their hi-tech cart was rammed by the dragon. "_**Trespassers!"**_ It roared, more green fire blew from its mouth, heating up the metal vehicle.

"It's trying to cook us alive." The Doc said aloud. "Ha! Brilliant!"

"Doc, how's about we _don't_ compliment that dragon tryin' tah kill us." AJ said angrily.

"Right, right. Sorry." The dragon rammed them again, this time forcing the Explorer off course, and straight into the path of a large island.

"Doc, pull up!"

"I can't!" He cried. "We're going too fast!" All three of them shut their eyes, and braced for impact. A loud bang was heard, but none of the ponies felt a crash, nor heard metal being crunched. They opened their eyes to see that they were going through the island! Once they reached the other side, they stopped and watched as the dragon fell down into the spiral, unconscious. They quickly realized that the im[-act they heard was the dragon hitting the wall.

"Doc."

"Yes, Big Mac?"

"Why didn't ya tell us, your vehicle could do that?"

"That's… because it shouldn't." The two siblings looked at him in shock. "I don't know how to do it, I'm not a unicorn, or a ghost. It shouldn't be possible." The scientist pondered for a moment. "Unless…"

"Unless, what?" AJ hesitantly.

"Unless, our physical transparency is the opposite to the requirements of this realm! Our biology, our living pieces, are not within a density that it recognizes, like how the ghosts have a different density in our world!"

AppleJack put a hoof on his shoulder in order to stop his ramblings. "In Equish, Doc."

He smiled sheepishly. "Right, sorry." He took a deep breath. "The Spirit Realm, and the Real World don't have the same physical properties, that's how ghosts are able to defy the laws of physics when they invade. So if living ponies enter the Spirit Realm…"

"We don't either!" AJ finished.

"Exactly, in other words, in the Spirit Realm, we're the ghosts!" The realization quickly dawned on them, just how life changing this information could be. But that would have to wait, as a light on the console began to blink.

Star was flung right onto the counter, spilling food everywhere. "Ow." He moaned pathetically. "My… ghost leg." Two guards approached, satisfied grins on their faces.

"Another one for the Infirmary." They were about to cuff him, when the halfa jumped. He slammed the two to the ground, grabbing one of their batons, and throwing to Skulker. The hunter caught it.

"Attack!" That sent the entire cafeteria into chaos. Prisoners rushed the surprised guards, tackling them and stealing their weapons. Star jumped off the two, joining the fray.

They were about to get up when a giant figure stood over them. An elderly pony wearing a kitchen uniform smiled sweetly at them. "Could I interest either of you gentlestallions with some apples?"

The two looked at each other before shaking their heads no. The sweet smile of the mare was gone, as a growl grew from the bowels of her throat. "_**Then dine on my fury!"**_ She summoned two giant chicken legs, and began beating the guards off their heads with them.

The doors to the cafeteria opened, revealing a wall of guards armed with shields. They aimed their batons and fired. Several prisoners were caught, a ring of energy formed around their bodies, stopping them cold. Star ducked under one shot, and jumped over another. He landed next to Skulker, and the two were quickly surrounded by more guards. They smirked at each other, and formed a back-to-back formation. With a roar, they dove into the circle of guards, catching them off guard.

Star would punch, smack, blast, and kick his way through them, while Skulker punched, slammed, kicked, and crunched his was through. The fight ended in just a few seconds.

The remaining guards fell back, their line being overwhelmed by the sheer number of prisoners. They ran down the halls, trying to find somewhere to hold, but their adversaries just kept coming. Walker arrested thousands of ghosts, far more than the guards thought they could handle.

The prisoners charged for the open courtyard, and freedom. Star on the other hoof, tried to escape down another hallway.

"Wait, you're going the wrong way!" He stopped when he heard Skulker shout. He stopped to see all of his enemies standing behind him, including the elderly pony from earlier.

"That's right, dearie. You're supposed to riot with the guards in here," she said sweetly, "_**and face your doom out there!" **_She roared. "She then smiled sweetly again, and presented a pie.

"No, thank you." Star said politely. "I have a little meeting with the Warden."

"... Okay." The mare flew off, along with the others.

"Good luck, Ghost Child." Skulker said. "I look forward to hunting you, on the other side."

"Thanks… I think, you should really work on your speeches."

The hunter laughed as Star ran off toward Walker's Office.

When he was gone, Ember approached Skulker. "Do ya think the DIpstick has a chance?"

"He may not be as skilled as I, but he is a quick thinker. He'll survive." The two ran off in silence, until the rockstar asked.

"So, you single?" Skulker looked at her in surprise, then grinned like a goof.

Walker slammed his hoof on his desk as he yelled into the microphone. "Guards, what's goin' on down there? Somepony answer me!"

The door was kicked in, revealing Star Phantom out of his prison uniform. "How about saying please?" He quipped. "Saying 'Please' and 'Thank You' is a rule."

"It is?" Walker asked in surprise. He opened his rulebook and began flipping through, when Star slammed it down on the desk.

A simple rule one learns from their respectful family." He threw a punch, nailing Walker in the face. The halfa saw the present still floating in the corner. He smiled and reached for it, but Walker tackled him to the ground.

"Ya got guts, punk. But ah don't tolerate gutsy lawbreakers." Star quickly shot up, knocking the warden off of him. He turned and fired, blasting him into the back wall. Walker growled, and stood tall. Star blasted him again, but the stallion dodged with ease. He marched toward the panicking halfa, who slowly backed toward the wall.

"You just escalated the situation, as well as your sentence. Now, your execution is nigh. Prepare to meet your maker." Walker summoned a whip sparking with electricity. "By the power vested in me, by me, I hereby sentence you to death. Any last words?"

Before Star could say anything, a massive silver and green covered cart phased through the wall. Both ponies looked in surprise as a door opened, and AppleJack came out. She aimed a blaster at the warden, and fired right into his chest.

"Yeah. Don't mess with my family." Star said as Big Mac helped him up. Walker growled, and charged at them. Big Mac pushed Star out of the way. The red stallion stood still as the ghost went right through him. Star stared in shock at the spectacle.

"W-what? But… WHAT?!"

"Star, in the Spirit Realm, we're the ghosts!" AJ explained.

"We're the ghosts?" Star pondered, then transformed back into Star Apple. He calmly walked over to the present, grabbed it, then began walking back to the Explorer. Walker tried to tackle him, but went right through the halfa.

"Why?" He tried again.

"Can't?" And again.

"Ah?" and again.

"Touch you?!"

"Sorry Walker, you see, I'm not just a ghost, I'm alive." He climbed aboard the vehicle, and smirked. "Your rules need not apply." With that, the door closed, and the ponies sped off, leaving a dismayed Walker behind.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Luna stared out at the night sky, the stars twinkled in a nice, beautiful pattern. She sighed, and closed the window, turning to head off to Night Court. As she reached the door, she heard something creak, and felt a cold wind blow. The alicorn turned to see the same window had opened. The curtains flew in the wind, obscuring something on the windowsill.

With magic, she grabbed a small box, wrapped up like a present. She cautiously opened it, removing the top, then peered inside. Her face grew into a grin, and with her magic, she pulled a small teddy bear from the box.

"StarSwirl the Bear!" The princess pulled the bear into a hug, almost missing the piece of paper that fell from the bear's arm. She picked it up, and read the writing.

_Found a little something from the old castle. See you at the Gala._

_~ S. Phantom_

Luna smiled, clutching the bear a little tighter. "Thank you, Star." She said quietly. What she didn't know was Star Phantom was listening from the roof.

He smiled. "You're welcome." With that, he took off, and flew back home, to get ready for the Grand Galloping Gala.


	20. Chapter 19: A Lovely Gala

Tonight was the night, the night that has been built up for several months. Tonight, was "The Grand Galloping Gala!" AppleBloom cried. "Ah can't believe it's here!" The little filly danced around the room, much to the amusement of her brother, StarShine Apple.

The stallion chuckled at his little sister's antics as he prepared his suit. "It should be fun, I just wish we got some extra tickets to take you and the rest of the family."

AppleBloom stopped, but kept her grin. "Don't worry, big brother." she said. "Y'all just worry 'bout havin' a good time. I'm sure Big Mac and ah would just embarrass you anyway."

"Oh please." Star picked up the filly, and began noogying her head. "I could never be embarrassed by you guys." AppleBloom struggled to get out of her brother's grip, but he was way too strong, even without his ghost powers. After a few seconds of antics, the halfa released his little sister.

He stood in front of a large mirror, which gave him the ability to check out his attire. He was in a nice tuxedo that complimented his snow white fur. A blue bow was tied around his neck, adding some flair. There wasn't a single piece of thread out of place, giving him the neatest look the stallion had ever seen. His mane hadn't changed at all. He loved the spiky hair too much for him to not keep it for the Gala, and whoever told him otherwise would have to deal with it.

"Well, all and all, it looks great. Now I just have to get to the Gala."

"Wait, the Gala starts in an hour." AppleBloom pointed out. "And AJ left with her friends a while ago, how are ya gonna get there in time?" Star rolled his eyes, and changed into Star Phantom with a flash of light. He flew a circle around her to prove his point.

"Oh, right." AB rubbed her neck sheepishly. Star laughed, and flew out the window towards Canterlot. His little sister waved goodbye as he did so.

**Star Phantom in: **

**A Lovely Gala**

**Romance at the Dance**

Star flew invisibly over the city of Canterlot. The entire city was dressed up for the event. Lights glowed from every building, chariots and carts filled the streets, fireworks lit the night, some of them he had to avoid. It took some time to find an alleyway that was out of the way, but he did eventually. Thankfully, it was only about three blocks from the Palace, where the Gala would be taking place.

He landed quietly and transformed before making his way onto the street. From where he stood, he could hear music. A song being sung by some of the guests, and from the voices he could hear, that included AJ and her friends.

"Wow, Pinkie Pie and Rarity, I could see singing here, but not AJ, and especially not Rainbow." He pondered for a moment, then shrugged. Whatever, if they wanted to sing, then let them sing. He was about to head off toward the main gate, when an armored hoof grabbed him and yanked him back into the alley.

In quick succession, he shoved the hoof off, and readied his ecto-blasts. The light revealed a pony in dark blue armor, with slitted eyes, and bat-like wings.

"Star Phantom?" She asked in a hushed tone. Star kept his defensive posture, but still raised an eyebrow.

"Depends, who are you?"

The mare saluted. "Sergeant Shadow Swirl, Princess Luna's Night Guard." Star lowered his hooves, powering down his ecto-blasts. "I have orders to fly you into the Garden Entrance. Follow me." The mare turned, and took off into the air. Star transformed once more, turned invisible, and followed. They flew right over the castle gates, where a large contingency of Royal Guards and Guards in White were inspecting guests.

Star's eyes widened in realization. Celestia must've ordered more spectral defenses for the Gala, not that he could blame her. But why didn't Luna warn him about this sooner? Sergeant Swirl flew down into the Palace Gardens, where only Night Guards could be seen. Star cautiously landed, and made himself visible again. He half expected the guards to jump him, but instead they simply greeted him with a nod, or a salute, and stood still once more. He looked at each of them, waiting to see what would happen.

"If I wanted you to inspect my guards, Star Phantom, I would've told them to stand in Parade." The halfa turned to see Luna standing under the gazebo, in the most gorgeous dress he had ever seen.

A sleek, black dress, with shining hoof-shoes, and black crown upon her head. Her mane was still the same, flowing graciously in an invisible breeze. Truly a beautiful creature of the night. Star blinked away that sappy thought, and calmly walked over. He gave a small bow, and grinned.

"Your Highness."

Luna giggled at his antics, and played along. "You may rise, Sir Star Phantom." He did so, transforming back into StarShine Apple. The guards remained stoic, giving Star a good idea of how much Luna revealed to them.

"When Tia gave me permission to create my own guard force, I knew I would have to create one that wouldn't target you. So, despite my sister's disagreements, I didn't transfer any from the Royal Guard, nor the GIW. They are all fresh from the batch, and eager to serve their Princess of the Night, and her allies."

"Hehe, wow Luna. I'm impressed, and relieved."

Luna smiled. "I knew you would be." She then turned to her guards. "You may return to your patrol routes. I will summon you if needed." The guards saluted, and took off into the air, taking V-formations before disappearing into the night.

"Very impressive." Star complimented.

"Indeed," Luna stepped down from the gazebo, "now let's head inside. I hear the food is delicious this year." Star presented a hoof, which Luna accepted gracefully. The two ponies walked into the Main Hall, unaware of the blood red eyes watching them from the shadows.

* * *

The Grand Galloping Gala, the most prestigious party in all of Equestria, one that millions of ponies wish they could attend, in the Beautiful City of Canterlot, hosted by the Princesses themselves, it was also the most boring thing Star has ever attended. He didn't expect a Pinkie Pie Party, but he at least expected a party, with dancing, laughing, and tasty food. This was anything but.

The halfa had to fight back a yawn as he and Luna stood there watching the party from afar. Not a single Noble walked over to greet them, nor did they seem willing to do so. He sighed before sitting down on his haunches.

"The most hyped up party in all Equestria," he began, "and I just want to leave." Luna nodded in agreement.

"Oh yes, Sister, you'll love the Gala." She mocked. "A great way to mingle with our subjects, my tail." Star laughed a little, seeing a regal princess act so grumpy is way more entertaining than it sounds.

He stood up and nodded his head towards the door. Luna nodded, smiling slightly. "Sure, let me just get us some punch before we depart." The alicorn walked over to the punch table, choosing to ignore the stares she got as she did so. She poured two small glasses of punch, then walked away, tuning out the whispers of discontent. Once she met up with Star, they walked out the door back toward the Gardens, not realizing that their stalker was hot on their tail.

* * *

The pair stood in the Gardens, watching the animals play, or, in the case of some, avoiding Fluttershy. They couldn't help but laugh at the situation, no matter how bad they felt for her. The animals were always more skittish around new ponies, not that Fluttershy seemed to understand that. Star would go over and let her know about that, but at the same time, he didn't want to crush her dreams.

So he was content with just sitting there with Luna, watching the pegasus chase some ducks behind a hedge. Once she was gone, the princess and the halfa let out the laughter they forced themselves to hold in.

"Oh wow, that was both funny, and kinda sad."

Luna giggled. "Indeed. Perhaps later, we can assist her in her endeavour." She raised her punch glass with her magic. "But for now, let us toast. To friendship."

Star nodded, and raised his glass. "To friendship." Star took a country sip, aka gulping the whole cup, of his glass. There was a sudden foul taste in his mouth. The halfa slapped Luna's glass away from her mouth before the liquid could touch her lips.

"Star! What-" Luna's surprise turned to horror as Star began to convulse on the ground, his hooves clutching his throat.

"Star!" The alicorn princess tried to place her hooves on him in a vain attempt to keep him steady. The halfa thrashed around for what felt like an eternity. His gagging and gasps for air gave off a sound of a dying animal.

Luna feared the worst as Star's eyes rolled up into his head, and his body went limp.

She began to shake him. "Star." Harder. "Star!" And harder. "Star!"

* * *

Luna stood over the unconscious form of Star Apple, tears in her eyes as her worst fears are being realized. She leaned in, and could thankfully hear breathing, although slow and shallow. She shook the body once more, although more gently this time. "Star."

The halfa groaned, clutching his head. His eyes slowly blinked open, and his gaze immediately fell on the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Hearts blinked in and out of existence around this exquisite female. His real heart began to race, and a blush appeared on his cheeks.

Luna raised an eyebrow as Star blushed, then gave her a loving gaze.

"Wow." He said softly. "I never realized, you look beautiful while staring at me worriedly."

_Wait, what? _Luna stared at the lovesick stallion with confusion, never realizing that she was now blushing.

"Um, Star?" She asked cautiously. "Are you okay?"

"Okay?" The stallion sat up, giving Luna a perfect view of his face, the newest feature being the pink tink within his eyes. "I'm better than okay, now that you're here, my Lovely Moon." The princess had no time to react before he wrapped himself around her, and puckered up. With a shriek, she used her magic to shove the stallion away from him.

"Star, what is the matter with you?!" She suspended him in mid-air, although it did little to stop him from attempting to reach out and kiss her.

"Oh, Luna, my dear, can't a stallion simply be lovestruck?" The alicorn whipped her head around to see BlueBlood standing there. A vial of pink liquid floated in his magic. "Although, I was hoping you would be just as loving to him too." He smiled sinisterly. "After all, two foul creatures of darkness deserve each other."

"BlueBlood." Luna muttered darkly. "Release him now."

"I'm afraid I cannot, my dear." His grin could make Tirek flinch. "For there is no known antidote for this poison."

"What?!"

"Love is the most incurable toxin, isn't it, Auntie." Luna charged up her magic, ready to blast him to Tartarus so that he can rot for all eternity. BlueBlood could see the magic brewing in her horn, and rolled his eyes.

"Fine, just so this is a fair game, I'll give you a hint." He presented the vial once more, along with a page that appeared to have been ripped out of a book. "This poison is the reason we celebrate Hearts and Hooves Day. Surely you know the legend." The unicorn hid the page away, along with the vial. "That's the only clue you have. Enjoy the party, Princess."

With a flick of his tail, he turned and walked away. "Have a _lovely_ evening." His eyes flashed blood red as he emphasized the word. Luna aimed to fire her magic, but the halfa disappeared before she could. It didn't help that a certain lovesick stallion managed to break through her magic, and tackled her to the ground.

"Oh my Sweet Darling Luna!" Star decreed. "I've been away from you for too long, oh how I missed you!"

With a groan, Luna managed to push him off. "You've been detached from me for two minutes!"

"Which is more time than I'm able to survive without you!" The Royal Princess had to find the hidden strength within herself to avoid facepalming herself. Unfortunately, she couldn't find that strength, and so she did just that.

"You're so adorable when you're annoyed." Star said lovingly. Luna, on the other hand, decided to scream in rage.

The scream echoed through the garden, frightening Fluttershy, which distracted her from her goal of catching the ducks. Much to their relief. The shy pegasus snuck her way over to the hedgerow, and peeked around the edge to Princess Luna and Star Phantom kissing?! The pegasus' eyes remained wide as she fell back behind the hedge and fainted.

Luna was trying desperately to get Star off of her, no matter how much she wanted this. Wait, where did that come from?! With a hard shove, she got the stallion off. Her nostrils were flaring, despite the blush she still had on her face. The alicorn then began the process of spitting away the kiss.

Star looked at her with surprise. "M-My Princess… did I… do something wrong?"

"Yes! Star, this is wrong!" Normally Luna would try to keep calm, but after what just happened, her mind said screw it! "I don't love you!" Star was about to rebuke that when Luna shoved her hoof into his mouth.

"And you don't love me! This is all from a poison! We're just friends! That's all we're ever meant to be, Star!"

Star glared at her, then shoved the hoof away. "How would you know how I feel? Huh?! Maybe I do love you, maybe the poison is only an inhibitor remover! You can;t tell me how I feel, Miss Princess of the Night!"

"I know because it's not you! You don't talk like this, you don't act like this, and you would never force yourself onto me like you did right there!"

"I'm simply showing you how much I love-" Luna shoved him away, which shocked him more than anything. They both stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, until Luna broke the silence.

"Don't say that please. Never say that to me again." The growl in her voice put Star on edge. He decided to shut up, and let the mare have her space. She'll come around. "Stay here, wait until I find a way to cure this poison… then we'll see how we feel." Lune spread her wings, and took off toward the castle, leaving Star alone and heartbroken.

Wait, it wasn't his heart, it was his head! He clutched his head in pain, transforming back to Star Apple in the process.

Luna landed in her room, immediately grabbing her pillow and screaming into it. Okay, with that frustration out of her system, she could think of a plan. What did BlueBlood mean by the legend of Hearts and Hooves Day. Hearts and Hooves Day was a way to remember the near tragic event involving… "Oh." She said in realization. Of course!

The incident where a Prince tricked a Princess he loved into drinking a potion with him, causing them to both neglect their duties and health in favor of never leaving the other's side. That's what BlueBlood meant. Now all she has to do was remember how they finally broke the curse.

"Think Luna, think!"

Star slowly sat up, his head still ringing. "What happened?" He remembered going out into the garden with Luna, then taking a country sip of his punch, then that awful taste, and nothing else. What was in that drink, where was Luna, and why did his lips feel like they were working overtime?

"Luna?!" The halfa got up and looked around. "Where is she?" He transformed into Star Phantom, and took off into the air.

"Luna?!" The mare in question snapped her head around, seeing Star Phantom floating outside her window. "Are you okay?"

"S-Star!' Luna tried to block his gaze, much to the stallion's confusion.

"W-wait, what-"

"Star, do you love me?!"

Wait, what?! Where did that come from?! A bright green blush formed on his face. "Uh, I… I-"

Luna stared at him with apprehension. Was it an hour already? It couldn't have been. Maybe something went wrong, since she wasn't affected at all by the poison.

"Do you… not remember?"

Star removed the blanket that was thrown over him, and stared at her. "I remember, feeling strange, and I thought we were…" He stopped and stared at her. The halfa could sense the fear from the mare, obviously at what he said next.

"But we weren't, were we?" They both couldn't help but feel a little downtrodden at the realization, the small part of them that wanted it to be true taking over for a minute.

"No, Star, we weren't. It was the poison that did it."

"BlueBlood." Star's eyes grew brighter as he growled out that name. Luna took a step back in shock.

'Star? Are you okay?"

"No, I feel like my heart's been ripped in two. But I know who I can take it out on!" Star took off back toward the castle. Luna watched him go, a sad smile following her gaze. The alicorn placed a hoof on her chest as her heart seemed to skip a beat. She could feel it beating rapidly, almost in a frenzy.

_Star Phantom, what are you doing to me?_

* * *

The Gala was quickly becoming a disaster. Some pink pony was jumping around, singing badly, and just being a general nuisance. Another country mare was selling appolish edibles, poor commoner food. The animals outside were now restless thanks to a crazy pegasus, and to top it all off, this one unicorn wouldn't leave BlueBlood alone!

No matter how much he was playing the fool, Rarity would follow him around like a lost puppy. The Noble had to withhold a groan, all he wanted was for his plan to succeed without issues. Is that too much to ask?!

Apparently, it was. He suddenly felt a pair of hooves slammed into his chest, pushing him through the wall. Rarity, who was looking the other way, turned back and found "Her Prince" gone.

"Prince BlueBlood?" She asked meekly.

BlueBlood was flung into a nearby wall. The items that were placed upon it were sent flying. The unicorn rubbed the back of his head to alleviate the pain. He slowly opened his eyes to get a view of his attacker.

Standing tall above him was Star Phantom, his eyes glowing with rage, and the aura that surrounded him radiated power.

_This is impossible._ He thought. "How?"

The noble was picked up by the scruff of his coat. Star pulled him into until BlueBlood could feel the breath on his snout.

"You'd be amazed how powerful I can be when I'm angry, and I'm livid!" The halfa then flung him over his shoulder into the opposite wall. BlueBlood managed to use his powers to fly intangibly through the stone wall, and land on his hooves on the other side. As he recovered, Star flew in and fired an ecto-blast.

BlueBlood formed a shield and fired back, to which Star dodged with ease. He charged forward, hooves glowing with ecto-energy. BlueBlood transformed into Ghost Blood right before impact. The two went flying up into the main hall.

Celestia sighed as she _finally_ had a chance to take a break, and talk to her favorite student, Twilight Sparkle. The purple unicorn offered the princess some punch, to which she gladly accepted.

"Why thank you, Twilight." She said softly. "After tonight, I could use some refreshment." But before the punch could touch their lips, two ghostly figures flew through the floor, slamming the drinks from their magic, and crashed onto the main stage.

The Gala attendees watched in horrific awe as the ghostly menace Star Phantom stood up, the Canterlot Ghost held tightly in his hooves. Celestia glared, and used her magic to summon the GIW and Royal Guards.

Star was blasted by Ghost Blood, and fell onto the main floor as the crowd dispersed in a panic. The older halfa fired another ecto-blast, which he jumped out of the way. He pushed himself back onto the stage, and nailed Ghost Blood's head with a mighty sucker punch.

AppleJack was pushing a large apple cake toward the main hall, when she saw the GIW making their way down the hall. She could tell right away they were about to join a fight, as they had their ecto-weapons charged, With an innocent "Whoops," she pushed the cart into their path.

The agents couldn't stop in time, and their inertia sent them piling into the cake. The country mare pulled the ecto-rope from her hat, and ran off before the GIW could see her.

Royal Guards were trying to make their way to the main hall, but their path was blocked by Night Guards.

The lead guard, Captain Shining Armor, marched up the leading Night Guard, Sergeant Shadow Swirl.

"Explain yourself, Sergeant." he demanded. Shadow Swirl saluted.

"Sir, I have orders to make sure no pony gets in, as GIW agents are already engaged."

"The Royal Guard have orders to assist them, as well as evacuate civilians."

"Civilians are already evacuated." Shadow Swirl had to hide her grin from the now enraged Guard Captain.

"Those orders are cancelled, under the authority of Princess Celestia-"

"Our regiment does not follow under Princess Celestia's jurisdiction, we are under the orders of Princess Luna herself."

"Her orders do not-"

"Are you questioning the authority of a _Princess of Equestria?!_" Shadow Swirl marched up to Shining Armor, her fighting hoof clutching the hilt of her sword, her guards held their spears tighter, ready to engage if given reason. "Do I need to detain you for disobedience?!"

Shining Armor seemed ready to fight, however, the sight of multiple nobles requisitioning his guards for 'protection.' So instead, he simply glared at the Sergeant and growled. "This isn't over."

With that, he walked away. Shadow Swirl simply grinned. "I do believe it is, Captain Armor."

Star threw Ghost Blood onto the table, scattering the contents on the table. The beaten halfa tried to crawl away from him, but Star simply picked him up once again.

"Not so tough without your tricks, are ya?" he growled.

"P-please, Star Phantom." Ghost Blood said in a meek voice. "H-h-have m… mercy."

"Ha! Mercy? Boy, you really are playing the pathetic card tonight, aren't ya?" Star readied his fist for a final blow. Ghost Blood shut his eyes in preparation. Except, the blow would never come, as Star was hit by a pink ecto-ray. In his rage, the young halfa never noticed the second Ghost Blood flying above them.

The beaten Ghost Blood then disappeared, and morphed into the unharmed unicorn. He clicked his tongue in mock disappointment.

"Oh, Star, Star, Star." The unicorn droned. "If only you actually were strong enough to beat me in a fair fight." Star tried to get up, but a second blast kept him down.

"But alas, you chose to continue the life of a country hick, never truly considering the things I could teach you." Ghost Blood sighed. "But I'm willing to let bygones be bygones if you simply come with me."

Star slowly pushed himself up. "And what? Join you?" Star let out a weak laugh. "As if I'd join a fruitloop like you!"

Ghost Blood growled. "Very well." He prepared a large ecto-blast and aimed. "Goodbye, Star Phantom. It truly has been an honor." Star closed his eyes, and prepared for the end.

Except, the end never came. Ghost Blood felt something wrap around him. He looked down to see a glowing rope wrapped around his chest. Before he could question it, the rope tightened, and he was violently pulled to the ground. He hit the floor with enough force to create a web of cracks on the marble.

Ghost Blood looked up to see AppleJack standing above him, her eyes glaring at him with a death wish.

"Y'all really shouldn't 'ave messed with mah brother." She growled. He turned and lifted her left hind leg. She slammed down hard on the hafla's head, creating more cracks in the web. Another kick sent Ghost Blood flying into the air, the rope untying itself in the process. He prepared for impact, but felt magic wrap around him.

The aura was dark blue, giving the unicorn a good idea as to who caught him. Luna flew up to him, a squadron of her guards flanked both her sides.

"BlueBlood." The alicorn said blankly. The tone made him gulp. "For crimes against Equestria, and the Crown that serves her, I hereby place you under arrest, any final words?"

BlueBlood sighed. "Yes, I'm afraid I cannot accept these charges, as that would expose your precious Star Phantom"s secret." All eyes widened at the realization. "But I know when I am beaten. For now, I shall once again retreat to my estate, and lick my well deserved wounds." He looked at the Night Guards, and the ecto-weapons they were now branding. "I also acknowledge that I shall be under surveillance while in the city, as per the agreed terms to our arrangement."

The halfa slowly dissolved before anypony could stop him, a mocking "Tah Tah," was all that was said.

AJ immediately ran over to assist Star, helping him to his hooves. With a sigh, Star transformed back into Star Apple, just before Celestia and several GIW agents entered the hall. Luna quickly teleported the two to her room before they could be spotted.

"Luna!" She cried, running over to quickly embrace her younger sister in a hug. "Are you alright?"

Luna nodded. "I am, the Canterlot Ghost has been defeated… thanks to the efforts of my guards." She said gesturing to the guards standing at attention behind her. Celestia looked them over, and nodded her head in acceptance.

"I guess you were right, sister." The alicorn sighed. "I'm just glad you're okay." The two embraced one more time before Celestia and the GIW departed, apparently, the sun princess wished to grab a donut at some donut shop in the city.

Luna let out a loud sigh of relief, and turned to her guards. "Make sure BlueBlood leaves the city limits, once he does, return to your posts. Be extra vigilant tonight." The guards saluted, and went to do as they were asked.

* * *

AJ helped Star to the bed, where he immediately laid down and groaned. "AJ" He said. "Tonight, was not the 'Best Night Ever.'" His twin let out a small chuckle.

"On that, you and ah can agree." She sat down next to him in the bed, placing a hoof on his shoulder. "Y'all gonna be okay?"

Star sighed, then nodded. "Yeah, just need to rest and let my wounds heal. Might take a while though." He explained, looking over the gashes and burns that covered his body. AJ thought for a moment, then an idea struck. She took off her hat and reached in. Star watched in confusion as AJ seemed to fish through a large amount of stuff.

_How does she fit so much in there?_ He asked mentally. A few seconds later, the mare pulled out a potion bottle. Inside was toxic green liquid. Star's face asked the question for him.

"It's a healing potion Zecora whipped up." AJ explained. "She made it with your DNA in mind." She popped open the bottle, and brought it over to Star's face. With a cringe, he guzzled down the disgusting drink. He hacked and coughed after finishing it.

Ugh! That stuff takes disgusting!" AJ let out a small laugh at her twin's reaction, and was amazed at how quick the potion got to work.

The halfa's wounds glowed brightly as they were sealed up and healed. Star exhaled softly as the pain disappeared along with the wounds. After a minute of healing, the glowing stopped, and the wounds were healed. The two looked at the wounds, then each other before embracing each other in a bone crushing hug.

* * *

Star Phantom stood alone in the wrecked main hall. He looked at the destroyed tables, cracked marble, and messed up stage. His ears flicked in the direction of hoofsteps coming toward him, he then turned to see Luna walking up to him. He quickly turned away and bowed his head. Luna stopped next to him, and sighed.

"Star." She said softly. "You know I'll always care about you." Star didn't respond. "But.. I'm not sure how I feel yet, about us… being together in that way."

"I feel like an idiot."

"Star, it wasn't you, it was that poison-"

"Was it?" He snapped. "I don't even know anymore, my head is telling one thing, and my heart is telling me another!" The halfa turned to the alicorn, and looked her straight in the eye. "It may have been the poison that made me act that way, but it was my heart that told me who to act that way." The two were now blushing, not that either of them noticed. Star turned away again.

Luna looked down, then grew determined. "Star, if you truly feel that way toward me, then let me decide for myself whether or not I return those feelings." Silence echoed around the room. "Until then, please," she begged, "let's just be friends. Let's not be the friendship breaking moment." Star said nothing, he simply looked at the floor. Luna looked away, afraid of what he was going to say.

The halfa turn to face her, sighed, and smiled. "Yeah, I can accept that." The two stared at each other, Luna mimicking the stallion's smile. Their moment was interrupted by the sudden introduction of slow music. They both looked toward the stage to see DJ-Pon3, Octavia, Lyra, and Bon Bon standing on stage. All four waved innocently at them, smiling wide.

Luna looked at Star with a raised eyebrow, to which he shrugged. "Figured we could have at least one dance together. After all, it is a big, fancy dance." He then presented a hoof to the princess. She stared at it for barely a second before accepting it, and joining him in a dance.

Vinyl increased the volume of the song, as the other three mares joined in, with Lyra providing her lyre, Octavia playing her cello, and Bon Bon singing the lyrics to the rhythm.

_See that weight on your wings? _  
_So I know what you're feeling. _  
_Yeah you got bigger dreams _  
_So keep on believing._

Star and Luna slowly tango'd in a circle as the song began, their hooves stepped in line with the beat.

"Star," Luna asked cautiously, "how-"

"Affected am I by the poison?" He finished for her. "Just enough to not be afraid to do this." The halfa answered honestly. Luna stared in awe, then smiled as she laid her head onto his shoulder.

"I can live with that."

_Don't let your colors bleed into gray_  
_We've got each other and chances to take_  
_Yeah you've got bigger dreams_  
_So keep on believing. _

_I'll chase the sky with you._  
_I'll chase the night with you. _  
_I'll chase the light with you._  
_If you wanna fly_  
_I'll chase the sky._

_Woah oh woah_  
_Woah oh woah_  
_Woah oh woah_  
_If you wanna fly_  
_I'll chase the sky._

As the Bon Bon sang the chorus, the two began to float into the air. Luna looked down, then held her self closer to Star. He simply laughed as they continued to dance off the ground.

_Anything in your heart_  
_Is more than worth keeping._  
_I'll shoot for the stars_  
_If that's what you needed._

_Just say the word and baby I'll run_  
_I'll find a way to go beyond the sun._  
_I'll shoot for the stars_  
_If that's what you wanted. _

_I'll chase the sky with you._  
_I'll chase the night with you._  
_I'll chase the light with you._  
_If you wanna fly,_  
_I'll chase the sky._

_Woah oh woah_  
_Woah oh woah_  
_Woah oh woah_  
_If you wanna fly_  
_I'll chase the sky. _

AppleJack watched the dance from afar. Tears pooled in her eyes as she watched her brother truly be happy for the first time in months. She looks outside to the stars, and saw two streaks across the sky.

"Mom, Dad… Ah hope y'all are proud of him."

_I'll chase, I'll chase_  
_It all with you._  
_I'll run, I'll walk_  
_I'll crawl for you._  
_(For you)_

_I'll chase the sky with you_  
_I'll chase the night with you_  
_I'll chase the light with you_  
_If you wanna fly_  
_I'll chase the sky._

_I'll chase the sky with you_  
_I'll chase the night with you_  
_I'll chase the light with you_  
_If you wanna fly_  
_I'll chase the sky. _

_Woah oh woah_  
_Woah oh woah_  
_Woah oh woah_  
_If you wanna fly_  
_I'll chase the sky._

Star Phantom and Luna landed safely on the ground as the song came to a close, their embrace remained firm for a few seconds before they separated. The two blushed furiously, the heat from their cheeks quickly became noticeable.

With a cough, Luna nodded to Star. "Thank you, for one last dance, Star Phantom."

Star bowed. "Anytime, Princess Luna."

With that, the alicorn princess left for her quarters, leaving the halfa alone on the dance floor. With a satisfied smile, he waved the four mares away, allowing them to go home for the night. He then walked up to AppleJack, who nodded.

"Let's go." She said. "I'm plum tuckered out." star chuckled, and grabbed his twin before taking off into the air. They flew invisibly over the city, not once being noticed by any guards or nobles.

The journey wasn't long at all, as Star flew home at the fastest speed he could. He landed in AJ's room, then wished her goodnight. He left the room and went to his own.

Star took off his suit, and laid down on the bed.

He thought about everything that had happened to him since he got his powers. The ghosts he's fought, the enemies who now target him, and the friendships he's made. Star thought about what his life would be like without his powers. But the halfa quickly threw those away. If Star was honest, he was glad he got his powers, and he wouldn't change a thing.

Star Apple went to sleep that night, looking forward to what tomorrow would bring. He wasn;t away of the elderly alicorn watching him through a portal, a blank expression on his face. With a hum, he looked at the watch held in his magic.

"All is as it should be." With that, the alicorn closed the portal, leaving the halfa to rest after one heck of a Gala.

**The End**


End file.
